REA-NEP HOLDS PUE ROUNDTABLE WITH ENERGY ACCESS COMPANIES (EACs)
The Rural Electrification Agency held a roundtable webinar session on Tuesday, 21st June 2022 with Energy Access Companies for the Productive Use Appliances and Equipment, component II, financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP).
Managing Director/CEO of REA, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad in his welcome address appreciated the companies for their participation and reeled out the purpose of the roundtable event, which is to discuss the PUE framework, implementation status particularly the ongoing Phase 1, as well as introduce opportunities to participate and also share the eligibility criteria prior to launching the application process for phase 2.
Phase 1 of the PUE kick-started with the contract signing of five (5) mini grid developers in December, 2021; Messrs. Leading Diagonal Engineering Ltd, Nayo Tropical Technology Ltd, PowerGen Renewable Energy Nig. Ltd, GVE Projects Ltd and Zylab Technologies Nig. Ltd (who already had existing mini grids deployed in rural communities) to test run the various assumptions surrounding PUE in the Nigerian market.
The PUE component II, uses a result-based framework for investors and energy access companies to incorporate the distribution and sale of energy-efficient productive use appliances in their regular line of activities. The objective is to increase the productive use of energy in rural communities by facilitating access to efficient, electric productive equipment.
The component also serves to activate the productive use appliance market and make productive uses of power a critical enabler to sustainable economic development while scaling up energy access. It will also encourage developers to make productive use of power and energy-efficient appliances part of their overall strategy for mini-grid viability.