The State House administration is embarking on a phased shift to solar energy that will save about N5 billion in annual electricity costs. Sunday PUNCH learned

He said the transition became necessary due to unstable power supply from the national grid, rising energy costs and fuel and generator maintenance costs running to over N6 billion annually.

According to senior government officials familiar with the project, it will include the Dodan Barracks in Lagos, the former seat of power, the State House complex and the State House Medical Centre, as well as the Presidential Wing in Abuja.

Phased deployment will begin with the Medical Center, where construction of a 1.2 MW solar power plant begins in October 2024.

Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Dike Obalum, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, explained that priority was given to the Medical Center to ensure reliable power to sensitive equipment and prevent damages due to power surges.

“We are establishing a solar power plant in this medical center; We plan to produce 1.2 Megawatts. The 1.2 MW capacity will help us gain some independence from the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.

“AEDC will only provide backup power supply and we will have our solar farm to support our processes.

“This will not only provide us with a steady power supply to ensure we provide uninterrupted service to our patients, but will also protect our equipment and machines from the vagaries of fluctuating power supply from other sources,” Obalum explained.

But he did not disclose the cost of the project, saying “State House Medical Center is purely a service center and is not involved in the financial aspects of any project.”

Last Thursday, major cities including the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), Lagos and Kano suffered power outages as the national grid collapsed for the 10th time in 2024.

In a last-ditch effort to balance its books last February, AEDC issued a 10-day notice to 86 state institutions, including the State House of Assembly, demanding payment of the total arrears of N47.1 billion to prevent disconnection.

AEDC alleged that the State House of Assembly owes about N923 million in unpaid electricity bills.

However, the State House of Assembly objected to this, saying the outstanding debt stood at N342.35 million, as confirmed in a letter dated February 14, 2024 by AEDC to the Permanent Secretary of the State House of Assembly.

Following this statement, President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate payment of the N342.35 million debt to AEDC.

An official familiar with the solar project told our correspondent that paying hefty bills for infrequent electricity and running generators that still consume diesel every day is no longer sustainable.

“It’s hard to sustain. We can’t continue like this. And so we are switching to solar energy to reduce big expenses,” said the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak.

The official disclosed that the solar project will save about N5 billion annually once it becomes operational by early 2025.

“Once we are done, it will reduce the cost of electricity to State House from N6 billion per year to less than 20 per cent of that amount. It should power all our devices from 7am to 7pm. “We plan to install some of the components in the Orman parking lot and the components in the banquet hall in about a month,” he said.

Another official familiar with the details said the plant will generate around 7 MW in real time with a maximum capacity of 40 MW.