Power Minister to Visit Jabi Lake Mall Solar Project Monday

The Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, will Monday pay a visit to the Jabi Lake Mall Solar Hybrid project in Jabi, Abuja.

UK company, Actis along with developer, CrossBoundary Energy (CBE), commissioned the 609kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) project a year ago. This is the first fully operational solar hybrid project for a Nigerian mall.

There are 1,848 solar PV modules located on the roof of the mall which generates approximately 850 MWh per year of electricity. Besides cutting energy costs, the solar facility will cut Jabi Lake Mall’s reliance on polluting diesel generators and will reduce carbon emissions by over 13,000 tonnes in line with the Paris agreement and sustainable development goals.

Jabi Lake Mall is located next to Jabi Lake in Abuja. The mall building adopted a “green-by-design” approach, guided by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sustainability principles to accommodate solar renewable energy.

Actis plans to roll out similar projects across their real estate portfolio in Africa over the next decade.

In an Actis press release ahead of his visit,
Hon. Jedy-Agba commended the team of experts’ vision of providing clean energy to one of the largest malls in Nigeria. “The solar hybrid project at Jabi Lake Mall is another example of Nigeria’s pioneering role in clean energy transition and also highlights the critical role Nigeria is already playing in the UK COP26 Energy Transition Council (ETC).”

In her words, United Nations Special Representative of Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi, says “this represents a good example of UK private sector companies like Actis implementing sustainable clean energy transition projects at scale across the African continent, with a particular focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UK’s COP26 Energy Transition Campaign.”

The Deputy British High Commissioner Mr. Ben Llewelyn-Jones, noted that,“The solar installation at Jabi Lake Mall represents a pioneering initiative by Actis, a UK managed investment firm, to commit to the pressing sustainable initiatives in Africa while adhering to sound economic principles. It serves as a case study for others to emulate.

“I am delighted that Nigeria is a prominent member of the COP26 Energy Transition Council, which seeks to accelerate the transition to clean power as part of a green economic recovery, through enhanced cooperation.”

Principal at Actis, Tolu Sokenu, says, “We are very proud to be Nigeria’s first mall powered with solar energy. As pioneers in Sub-Saharan Africa’s commercial real estate space, we wanted to show that incorporating environmental sustainability energy efficient buildings across the continent is achievable. It supports our mission to reduce our carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment. It will also heavily reduce our reliance on grid and diesel while providing energy savings for the mall.”

Head of Business Development for CrossBoundary Energy, James Shoetan, says “Now that we’ve commissioned this solar plant, CBE is providing Jabi Lake Mall with cleaner, cheaper, reliable power and with no upfront cost or technical risk. It’s fantastic to work with early adopters like Actis, who can inspire like-minded businesses in the region to make the switch to solar.“