The Kaduna State government has called on the European Union (EU) to support it with solar panels to enable it to boost solar power supply to its hospitals and healthcare centres.

Idris Aminu-Idris, the managing director of Kaduna Power Supply Company (KAPSCO), made the call in an interview in Abuja on the sidelines of an event organised to inaugurate the Federal Steering Committee for the EU-funded Nigeria Solar for Health (NSHIP) project.

Mr Aminu-Idris said the EU support would go a long way toward deploying cleaner energy systems for the hospitals in the state.

The call is coming as Nigeria gradually transitions to clean energy sources that will reduce carbon emissions and bring Nigeria closer to achieving its net zero goals across various states.

“In the previous phase of the EU donations, we were actually able to support about 10 general hospitals with about 792 kilowatts of power – totally off-grid.

“So, from the state government’s side, through KAPSCO, we are able to maintain all those general hospitals because we have an operation and maintenance team.

“Beyond that, we have an annual budget from the state government for the operation and maintenance of the primary healthcare centres.

“We are happy to be part of the EU-funded Nigeria Solar for Health Project, and we will key into the new phase of the EU donor fund.

“We are very much ready, and we have done so much already. We are going beyond the nine primary healthcare centres that the EU project wants to take completely off-grid,” he said.

The KAPSCO MD said through the state government’s effort, out of the 255 primary healthcare centres in the state, “we have so far taken 209 of them off-grid.”

He said off-grid solutions for primary healthcare centres were ongoing.

“We are going to our major hospitals and would like the EU to come in fully and support us.

“We are particular about the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital; we have a major hospital in Zaria also called Gambo Sawaba General Hospital; then we have the Patrick Yakowa Hospital in Kafanchan,” Mr Aminu-Idris said.

He said the state government has already created synergy between the relevant ministries that are supposed to work closely to drive the EU-funded project effectively.

The technical assistance for Nigeria Solar for Health Project aims to provide 24-hour green and reliable electricity supply to critical public healthcare facilities and reduce CO2 emissions compared to grid-connected diesel and petrol generators.

The project is funded by the EU and implemented by NTU International A/S, the implementing organisation.

(NAN)