By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN CITY —  Edo State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a West African firm, Azura Power Ltd, with a view to building a 450MW Independent Power Plant, IPP, in the state.

A statement by the Executive Director, Edo State Public-Private Partnership, PPP, Mr. Igbinidu Inneh, explained that the project, which is scheduled to commence next year, will be sited in Benin City.

According to him, the project is a focal point in the country’s gas pipeline network and its national electricity transmission grid.

“The power plant will be one of the first independent power projects to be completed after the launch of the “Roadmap for Power Sector Reform” recently announced by President Goodluck Jonathan and is in line with the Edo State Government’s vision of providing “Light to all nooks and crannies of the state,” the statement added.

The statement further explained that Azura was a partnership between Amaya Capital Partners, a leading African-focused Principal Investment firm and Aldwych International, an energy group involved in the growing economies in Africa.

Reacting on behalf of Edo State government, the state’s Commissioner for Energy and Water Resources, Comrade Didi Adodo, asserted: “I am absolutely delighted that we can announce this MOU with AZURA today, as it indicates our strong commitment to provide the ordinary people of Edo State and Nigeria rightful access to electricity and power in their homes and places of work.”

“This new power plant will go a long way towards achieving our vision of All Urban, Peri_Urban and Rural Communities to be provided with reliable electricity supply by being connected to the National Grid by the year 2020”.

Phillip Ihenacho, Director of AZURA, in his reaction, expressed his excitement over the project, saying the partnership with the state government to “build a world class IPP that will provide much needed electricity to the people of Edo State and beyond is a welcome development .

“We have been impressed with the state government’s ambition, commitment and desire to move quickly and look forward to starting and delivering this project as soon as possible”.