Map of Benue State
By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
The recent trip to the United States (U.S) by Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has already attracted a delegation of investors from Australia which has arrived the sate to develop a 10 GW solar photovoltaic power plant.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports that a photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power.
They are different from most building-mounted and other decentralized solar power because they supply power at the utility level, rather than to a local user or users, according to Wikipedia.
Paul Camp and Richard Vargas of United Solar Energy, who came for the purpose were received by the Managing Director of Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, in the company of representatives of the Commissioner for Justice, Public Order and Attorney-General, Justin Gbagir, and representative of Commissioner for Transport and Power, Prof. Jonathan Uhaa.
The duo of Camp and Vargas presented a comprehensive Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework for the project to the team, which scrutinised it and is to forward recommendations to the governor.
The framework outlined the terms of the partnership that the state government is to provide suitable land that will cover the entire project, plus 15 years of environmental approvals and authorizations and a signed master schedule Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 25 years.
Other clauses included providing asset-backed green bond security, ISPO, commercially ensuring the viability of the project, and providing tax concessions, incentives, and financial grants.
According to the PPP agreement, the Benue State Government would have to provide access to an incentive scheme on import tax and provide adequate infrastructure, among other conditions.
The Australian investors in return would provide 100 percent funding, provide jobs for locals, up-skill local manpower, and re-skill unemployed youths in the state.
The team after scrutiny would forward submissions to Governor Alia, after which a memorandum of understanding will be signed virtually.
