Benue State may be on the cusp of a clean energy revolution with news of a proposed 10 gigawatt (GW) solar photovoltaic power plant by Australian investors, according to findings by BusinessDay.
Findings showed Messrs Paul Camp and Richard Vargas, representing United Solar Energy, met with Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) to discuss the project.
The investors, who met with Raymond Asemakaha, the managing director, Benue Investment Property Company (BIPC), in the company of Justin Gbagir, representative of the commissioner for justice, public order and Attorney-General, and Jonathan Uhaa, representative of commissioner for transport and power on Tuesday in Makurdi.
The proposed plant, if completed, would be a significant boost to Nigeria’s power generation capacity.
The duo of Camp and Vargas presented a comprehensive public-private partnership (PPP) framework for the project to the team, who scrutinised it and also forwarded recommendations to Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue state.
The framework outlined the terms of the partnership that the state government is to provide suitable land that will cover the entire project, plus 15 years of environmental approvals and authorisations and a signed master schedule Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 25 years.