As part of the Federal Government’s energising education programme, METKA Power West Africa, a firm that specialises in the construction of large-scale energy projects has delivered its second project, a 1.35MW hybrid power project for the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State.
The FUPRE power plant is the second project METKA is delivering, following the commissioning of the 7.1MW power plant in Bayero University Kano in September 2019, another project under the Energising Education Programme.
Concerning the FUPRE power plant, Evangelos Kamaris, managing director of METKA, said the benefits of the project include “access to uninterrupted 24-hour power supply for over 4,000 students and teachers, and the decommissioning of several small generators, an achievement worthy of commendation to the Federal Ministry of Power and the leadership of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).”
“The project will, no doubt, improve effectiveness in research, teaching and learning with a remarkable impact on the quality of graduates from the university,” Kamaris said in a press statement.
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Goddy Agba, minister of state for Power, commended METKA for its strategic partnership and the excellent execution of the project while stressing the government’s commitment to enabling the development of the educational sector.
He said the ministry’s power policy specifically targets education to ensure that all federal universities have access to reliable electricity, given the importance in catalysing economic productivity.
METKA was awarded the Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contract to deliver hybrid solar plants to four Nigerian Universities, namely Bayero University, Kano; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun; and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in February 2018.
METKA will provide full EPC services for power generation plants, street lighting and training centres, as well as operation and maintenance services, for four universities.
All four universities will be powered by hybrid power plants utilising renewable energy sources integrated with energy storage and diesel generation as backup, enabling reliable power supply for the universities totally autonomously from the grid.
In total, 7.5MW of off-grid hybrid power will be installed, incorporating the EXERON technology and the latest developments in mini-grid design, the company said in a statement.
EXERON provides intelligent utilisation of alternative power sources (solar PV, diesel generating sets, grid connection) and advanced battery management to ensure the optimal use of available resources.
The initiative will be implemented by the REA, aiming to provide uninterrupted power to a number of federal universities and university teaching hospitals across Nigeria.
“The Energising Education Programme is being implemented in three phases, funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Bank and the African Development Bank respectively,” said Ahmad Salihijo, MD of REA.
