The Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, is scheduled to visit the Jabi Lake Mall Solar Hybrid project in Abuja Monday (today).
Actis, along with the developer – CrossBoundary Energy, inaugurated the 609kWp solar photovoltaic project a year ago, as the first fully operational solar hybrid project for a Nigerian mall.
There are 1,848 solar PV modules located on the roof of the mall which generates approximately 850MWh per year of electricity.
Besides cutting energy costs, the solar facility will cut Jabi Lake Mall’s reliance on polluting diesel generators and will reduce carbon emissions by over 13,000 tonnes in line with the Paris Agreement and sustainable development goals.
Actis said in a statement on Sunday that the clean energy project was an excellent example of private sector investments in sustainable buildings and renewable energy in Nigeria.
Jabi Lake Mall is located next to Jabi Lake in Abuja. The mall building adopted a ‘green-by-design’ approach, guided by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design sustainability principles to accommodate solar renewable energy.
The United Kingdom, Actis, said it had plans to roll out similar projects across their real estate portfolio in Africa over the next decade.
Jedy-Agba commended the team of expert’s vision of providing clean energy to one of the largest malls in Nigeria.
He was quoted as saying, “The solar hybrid project at Jabi Lake Mall is another example of Nigeria’s pioneering role in clean energy transition and also highlights the critical role Nigeria is already playing in the UK COP26 Energy Transition Council.”
On her part, the United Nations Special Representative of Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, Damilola Ogunbiyi, said, “This represents a good example of UK private sector companies like Actis implementing sustainable clean energy transition projects at scale across the African continent.
“It is with a particular focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and UK’s COP26 Energy Transition Campaign.”
The Deputy British High Commissioner, Ben Llewelyn-Jones, said, “The solar installation at Jabi Lake Mall represents a pioneering initiative by Actis, a UK managed investment firm, to commit to the pressing sustainable initiatives in Africa while adhering to sound economic principles.
“It serves as a case study for others to emulate. I am delighted that Nigeria is a prominent member of the COP26 Energy Transition Council, which seeks to accelerate the transition to clean power as part of a green economic recovery, through enhanced cooperation.”
Principal at Actis, Tolu Sokenu, said, “We are very proud to be Nigeria’s first mall powered with solar energy.
“As pioneers in Sub-Saharan Africa’s commercial real estate space, we wanted to show that incorporating environmental sustainability energy efficient buildings across the continent is achievable.
“It supports our mission to reduce our carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment. It will also heavily reduce our reliance on grid and diesel while providing energy savings for the mall.”
Head of Business Development for CrossBoundary Energy, James Shoetan, also said, it was fantastic to work with early adopters like Actis, who could inspire like-minded businesses in the region to make the switch to solar.
-Punch