NNPCL, Niger Govt sign MoU to develop green economy

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Niger State Government have signed a Memoranda of Understanding to develop renewable energy.

This is the first-of-its-kind Green Economy and Energy Development Partnership agreement for the development of four unique projects in the state, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Mohammed Bago, Mr Bologi Ibrahim, said in a statement on Wednesday.

He said the partnership will lead to the development of low-carbon solution projects including Greenfield Hydroelectric Power, solar parks in institution, home solar systems for 250,000 households and the establishment of a 500 million-litre Ethanol plants.

The Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, signed the MoU on behalf of the state government while the NNPCL’s Executive Vice-President, Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, and the Managing Director, New Energy Limited, Kanayochukwu Odoe, signed for the NNPCL at the corporation’s head office in Abuja.

On its part, NNPCL plans to plant 135 million trees on 100,000 hectares of land across the country as part of its commitment to climate protection and carbon sequestration towards its 2030 net zero targets.

The governor also pledged his commitment to planting 1 billion trees on 1 million hectares of land over the next eight years.

The statement 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 that will be used to fuel the ethanol plant.”