Thirty (30) members of the Nigerian Institution of Power Engineering (NIPE) Kano State Chapter have visited the Wind Farm in Rimi Local Government of Katsina State to ascertain the status of the project and assess the overall impact of the project to the host community and indeed Nigerian power development.

The team was led by Engr David Omoloye, the Kano State Chairman of NIPE and other executives.

Engr Omoloye who is also the Chief Technical Officer of KEDCO hinted that KEDCO is ready to collaborate with the Federal Government and Katsina State Government for the host community to realize full benefits of the project.

In the communiqué issued by NIPE, it was stressed that the visit to the project site was to ascertain the readiness of the Wind Farm for efficient power generation and distribution to the esteemed customers of KEDCO in Katsina axis.

It was observed that the project which has now reached 90% completion has suffered unnecessary delay for 15yrs in the same way, that other national projects such as Mambilla Hydro Power and Ajaokuta Steel Company have been crawling for more than 40 years. The narratives must change if Nigeria is to compete with other nations of the world that are on the fast lane of development.

According to the communique, there should be high commitment and adequate budgetary provision for projects of national importance if we are to move our nation to the next level of development.

Following the visit, NIPE recommended that with the effect of climate change, there was the need to go green, stressing that renewable energy has taken centre stage in power industry globally. That Solar Farm should be integrated with the Wind Farm to take advantage of unoccupied space in the Wind Farm to increase the power output.

Commenting on the new development, the MD/CEO Dr. Jamil Isyaku Gwamna, said: “KEDCO will collaborate with government and other stakeholders in diversifying to renewable power which remain the way forward as we move into the future. At a glance, the future of wind and even solar energy seem promising in our coverage area. And as a company we have embraced the future to ensure that we meet up with future demands when the need arises.

With the collaboration, power supply in our coverage will be scaled up and our numerous customers will be the ultimate winner as it has always been the case for us in KEDCO to prioritize the satisfaction of our customers’’, he said.