FG unveils national energy policy, master plan

.Institute laments 85m without access to electricity

Federal Government, through the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), yesterday, unveiled the National Energy Policy (NEP) and National Energy Master Plan (NEMP) that would guide the nation’s energy transition.

The two strategic documents, which are revised editions, mark the first time an energy policy document will be gazetted in the country.

Speaking at the unveiling in Abuja, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, disclosed that the Federal Government, in pursuance of its energy targets, had floated two great bonds of $10.6 billion and $15 billion in the first and second tranches, respectively.

He added that the third tranche, with a threshold of $50 billion targets, promotes the transition to low carbon and climate resilient growth, which includes both climate mitigation and adaptation.

He said: “These, no doubt, open additional investment initiatives under Nigeria’s energy transition plan, where the bond holders, beneficiaries, suppliers, manufacturers and a host of other value chain activities can explore investment opportunities.”

He added that by these gazettes, government policy direction was now clear, documented and holds significant importance for general application.

He noted that it had further given its official recognition by government, lending it authority and credibility, thus encouraging compliance by government agencies and institutions as well as private establishments businesses.

He was joined by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev (represented); Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo; the Director General of the ECN, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, among other dignitaries, to unveil the documents.

Abdullahi assured that the commission would collaborate with stakeholders on the roadmap, which would guarantee energy security.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said the documents  were significant because it pointed to the “determination of the government to ensure energy sustainability,” adding that “energy forms the backbone of the society and economic growth.”

Meanwhile, World Resource Institute (WRI) has lamented that over 85 million Nigerians have no access to electricity.

Consequently, the institute called on governments to deploy open-source infrastructure to identify areas where access to energy should be expanded.

Lead, Energy Access Explorer at the World Resources Institute, Dimitris Mendis, who disclosed this while answering questions from journalists at the Open Source in Access to Energy Symposium organised by the institute in collaboration with the EnAccess Foundation in Abuja, said Nigeria was the number one country in the whole world when it comes to people that have no access to electricity, adding that WRI was working with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to bridge the energy access gap in the country.

He stated that lack of access to electricity meant that there would be no modern healthcare, no modern agriculture, no modern education, no modern livelihood, stressing that to address this challenge, there was need to identify underserved communities.

In his remarks, the CEO, EnAccess Foundation, Vivien Barnier, explained that the organisation was dedicated to promote, fund and support open-source innovations in the energy access space.

Also, Director for Energy, Transportation, and Infrastructure at the National Council on Climate Change,  Michael Ivenso, said government was formulating fiscal incentives that would completelyremove import duty and VAT on renewal energies to crash the price of solar, wind energy products and to make them affordable and accessible to Nigerians.