16th January, 2017
The Plateau Government is to establish an Energy Corporation to explore the three sources of renewable energy available in the state, Mr. David Wuyep, the Commissioner of Water Resources and Energy, has said.
Wuyep on Monday in Jos said that a bill to that effect had been endorsed by the State Executive Council and would soon be submitted to the House of Assembly.
“In establishing the corporation, we shall engage private outfits in a partnership that will benefit government, the partners and the Plateau people,” he explained.
He disclosed that the corporation would be the operational arm, while the ministry would serve as an infrastructural regulatory agency, which would monitor the implementation of laid down policies and standards.
He explained that the outfit would not limit its focus to electricity, which was just one form of energy.
“Plateau is blessed with three, out of the four major sources of renewable energy.
“The state has more than 20 hydro-points from where we can generate hydro-electricity.
“The state is a good shed for water that drains into various river basins and streams where we can easily generate electricity because it sits on a slope and that gives us natural kinetic energy with which we can generate electricity.
“Plateau is also the third highest solar radiation point in Nigeria after the North-East and North-West; this puts us in an advantage position to generate solar energy.
“The state is also lying along three wind corridors that have the highest speed in the country almost on the index 3 and 4 that, which means that we are well poised to generate electricity using the wind,” he explained.