By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Federal Government, with financial and technical support of the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within the framework of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), has launched the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) Guidelines for Solar Mini-Grid Projects in Nigeria, 2022.
The ESMP Guideline is a simplified process for carrying out Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for solar mini-grid projects. The main objectives of the ESMP Guidelines are to save costs for developers and enhance productivity during the development of solar mini-grid projects.
The revised general Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedural Guidelines, 2017, which was made pursuant to the EIA Act, 1992, provides that Category Two (II) Projects, such as solar power projects, may not require full-scale EIA, depending on the project’s perceived level of impact.
The Federal Ministry of Environment, through the technical support from the NESP and in consultation with relevant stakeholders, developed the ESMP Guidelines which specifically applies to the solar mini-grid sector.
Speaking at the launch of the ESMP Guidelines in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Environment, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Hassan Musa said, “Part of the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Environment is to encourage the use of clean sources of energy and ensure environmental protection in Nigeria.
“It is in this vein that the Ministry developed and approved an abridged ESMP Guidelines for solar mini-grids that will not only encourage more investments into the sector but ensure that our environment is protected in the process”.
In his remarks, the Director, Environmental Assessment Department of the ministry, Mr Abbas Suleiman, elaborated on the key implications of the ESMP Guidelines for the sector and the environment.
He said “Given the exemption of solar power projects from requiring a full EIA process and the peculiarity of solar mini-grids, it became imperative to develop a Guideline that will regulate not just the environmental issues pertaining to these projects but the health and social aspects as well.
“The Guideline is an encompassing document that provides a simplified step-by-step guide for developers and regulators on the activities to be carried out toward the approval of an ESMP, during the lifetime of a solar mini-grid as well as during project decommissioning.”
Also speaking, the Head of Section, Economic Cooperation and Energy at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Inga STEFANOWICZ, restated that the EU will continue to strongly support and contribute towards Nigeria’s vision for a clean and sustainable environment.
She noted that, “the EU’s support towards the development of the ESMP Guidelines aims to encourage higher investments into the solar mini-grid sector, which will ultimately increase access to clean and affordable electricity in rural and peri-urban communities across Nigeria”.
Similarly, the Head of Programme, NESP, Mr Duke Benjamin expressed NESP’s delight to have provided technical assistance to the ministry in developing the ESMP Guidelines.
“We are glad to have supported the Ministry not only in developing the ESMP Guidelines, but in facilitating several stakeholders’ workshops and a public hearing, to collate feedbacks and contributions from key stakeholders and experts in the sector”, he said.
The NESP is a technical assistance programme co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Power (FMP). It aims to foster investments for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and to improve access to electricity for disadvantaged, rural communities.
