The Niger State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) for the development of the Greenfield Hydroelectric power project, mega solar parks in institutions and home solar system for 250,000 households out of the 800,000 households projects in the state.
The MOU, which was signed on Tuesday, focuses on industrialization, agriculture, solar deployment and renewable energy.
Governor Bago and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alh. Abu Bakar Usman, signed the MOU on behalf of the state government while the NNPC's Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, as well as its Managing Director, New Energy Limited, Kanayochukwu Odoe, signed for the NNPC.
Bago said: "This will, among other things, bring about the development of a Greenfield Hydroelectric power project, solar parks in institutions, home solar systems for 250,000 households and the establishment of a 500 million-litre Ethanol Plant."
He also said maize, sugarcane, and sweet sorghum will be cultivated on 100,000 hectares of land in the state, to produce over 500,000 tons of the crops to be used to fuel the ethanol plant.
Also speaking, the Executive Vice President, of Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, explained that the leadership of the NNPC focused not just on projecting clean energy in Africa, but exploring the route and converting it for the prosperity of the country.