Italian Based Int’l Renewable Energy Company To Establish  Independent Power Plant In Edo

By Simeon OSAJIE

A reputable International renewable Energy Company,  CER Energy JV, led by its Vice  President and Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) Dr. Blessing Akele, President, Eng Giuseppe Battaglia and Technical Director, Eng Gaetano Casetti, has proposed to the Edo State government its interest to establish an Independent Power Plant  to address the worsening condition of the epileptic electricity supply in Edo State and in  Nigeria.

In an interview in her office in Benin City, Dr. Akele, said the vision of the energy firm is to  boost  the electric power supply in Nigeria, starting from Edo State, through renewable resources,  primarily the flare gas. 

According to her, “This waste product from the extraction process of the oil&gas industry is one of the most toxic substances polluting the Niger Delta States of Nigeria.

“Therefore,  one can categorize Nigeria as one of the countries in the world that contributes to the worsening global warming that’s damaging the biosphere and ecosystems.

“It is paramount to eliminate such devastating waste product to save and protect all the living things (biodiversity of the ecosystems such as plants and animals of the tropical rain forest) that makes human life possible on earth.

“Our electric power generation industry is active in the green economy sector. Our focus is to ameliorate the living standards of the population in the countries where we operate by transforming waste to wealth and healthy products.

“Also with our technologic know-how, we transform refuse to electric light which translates among others, to a clean and healthy environment with less viral illnesses and diseases.

“So, Nigeria in our view cannot but play her impelling role in the green Industrial sector for the benefit of Mother Nature and humanity itself.”

Going further, she added: “Our proposed priority sector of industrial intervention flare to electricity is based on the above mentioned reasons and for the obvious, direct, immediate and positive effects the project will have  in the everyday lives of the citizens living in the gas flaring communities, such as, farming, fishing, and the outdoor leisure lifestyle will be restored. The cancer genic atmosphere and the oven hot temperature will also be eliminated. In addition, to enjoying more electric power supply that doesn’t have collateral effects on human and the environment.

“From our company’s perspective and mission these are some of the awesome motives to embrace Green Industrial Energy production from renewable sources which Nigeria has in abundance,, be it flare gas or garbage made of a high percentage of plastic, which is ideal for our energy plants because it’s the main element required for the electricity generation. Why the organic waste is more for the thermal heat co-generation.”

Akele who is a European trained Jurist having obtained a PhD. in Jurisprudence,  legal capital investment consultant, catalyst and foreign investment promoter for the Nigerian Mission in Rome, for decades and special correspondent for an Italian online daily Africa Ex Press (AEP) directed by Massimo Alberizzi says, “there is no gainsaying that a major hindrance to industrial development in Nigeria is the epileptic power supply which has become a national embarrassment, especially when the  country is endowed with large oil, gas, hydro and solar resources, and has the potential to generate more than 12,000 megawatts of electric power from existing plants.

“It should also be of common knowledge; Europe gained its Industrial status thanks to electric power. The natural resource used to generate electricity at beginning of the West industrial revolution was coal, the so-called fossil fuel, that is one of the highly polluting source of energy and as bad as flare gas is today”.

She added that, “It is so sad that Nigeria is only able to distribute below 4,000 megawatts which is grossly  insufficient for a country of over 200 million people”

She said that it is in view of this electric power shortage drawback that the CER Energy JV, proposed to the government the establishment of an independent power plant to complement the existing electricity producing companies in Edo State.

CER Energy JV, Vice President and CEO, Dr. Blessing Akele opined that the company boasts of a track record in similar intervention in Ragusa, a hilltop city in southeast Sicily, (Italy), the largest Mediterranean Island, where the company CER Srl, converted the flare gas that was torch light burnt to electric light.

With the implementation of the independent power plant, the CER Energy JV CEO said, it will enable the transfer of high-tech know-how to the local engineers and technicians.

She further said that their industrial development plan isn’t limited to the energy sector alone but they are also interested in the agricultural  and construction sectors of the Nigerian economy as well as, the cultural and academic areas of  social development.

She indicated the possibility of facilitating university exchange programmes between Edo State and some Universities in Italy.

She said under this scheme her Firm would facilitate the collaboration between the Ambrose Ali State owned University, AAU, Ekpoma for instance, with selected Universities in Italy in the Faculties of Electric engineering, tropical agronomy or in the Faculties the Nigerian University institutions will retain and/ or determine  as necessary and appropriate.

She expressed the believe, that both the Federal and State governments provide the needed conducive environment for the implementation of the proposed sustainable green energy project. “Since, we understand, at the light of all said so far, the Nigerian government is in dire need of foreign investments to upgrade its Industrial default. And as a Nigerian, together with my foreign partners, we are ready to contribute our quota to developing Nigeria.”