AE-FUNAI to Get 10MW Solar Power Plant Upgrade from Federal Government

Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State, is set to benefit from a major upgrade and expansion of its hybrid solar power plant, following an assurance by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abuja.

The solar plant, established by the Federal Government in 2019 under the Energizing Education Programme, will be expanded from its current 2.8 megawatts (MW) capacity to 10 MW to provide sustainable and uninterrupted green energy to the university community.

Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed this during an unscheduled visit to the power plant. He explained that the upgrade was necessary to match the rapid expansion of the institution, adding that excess energy from the upgraded facility would be distributed to homes and businesses in neighbouring communities for a fee. Aliyu further stated that electricity tariffs would be introduced to connected homes within the host community to sustain reliable power supply.

Aliyu commended the university management under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sunday Elom for successfully managing the solar plant since its inauguration by the Federal Government on August 2, 2019. He revealed that a team would be sent to AE-FUNAI to study how the institution had effectively run the facility over the past six years, with the aim of replicating its model in other Nigerian universities.

The REA boss also announced plans to replace the plant’s batteries, which have a lifespan of eight years and are already in their sixth year of use. He stressed that the upgrade was part of measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project, particularly in view of the university’s growing population and infrastructure needs.

In response, the university management expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its intervention in the area of electricity supply, describing the solar hybrid plant as a major relief to the institution. The management also thanked the REA leadership for the visit and the promise to expand the facility, noting that the current capacity was no longer sufficient to meet the energy demands of the fast-growing university.