The Federal Government will begin charging universities and teaching hospitals for electricity generated from its renewable energy projects as part of efforts to sustain the facilities.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the launch of the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO).
Tegbe said the government could no longer continue providing the power free of charge, stressing that the new tariffs would help fund the maintenance of renewable energy assets.
He said some universities had enjoyed free electricity from the projects for about two years but would now be required to pay for the power they consume.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, said the agency had deployed 82 megawatts of solar-hybrid generation across 22 federal universities and three teaching hospitals since 2017 under the Energising Education Programme.
Aliyu said beneficiary institutions must contribute to sustaining the projects by paying for the electricity they consume. He explained that the revenue would fund operations, maintenance, and the replacement of components such as batteries and inverters, reducing dependence on further government funding.
RAMCO was launched by REA, the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, and InfraCorp to professionally manage and sustain publicly funded renewable energy assets. The company is also expected to make the assets more attractive to private investment.
Beneficiaries of the government’s renewable energy program include institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the Federal University, Wukari.
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