All On completes solar-powered electrification of Rivers’ COVID-19 Isolation Centre
…Project is part of N180m COVID-19 Relief Fund
All On says it has completed a solar-powered electrification project at the Rivers State COVID-19 Isolation Centre located in Eleme near Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The Shell-funded All On said it executed the project through one of the rising innovative firms in the off-grid sector, GVE. All On said it was pleased to pull off the project being the completion of a 9.6Kw solar and 30kWh battery storage solution at the Rivers State COVID-19 Isolation Facility at the General Hospital, Ogale, Nchia, near Port Harcourt.
BusinessDay gathered that the installation would provide uninterrupted power supply for medical and other appliances at the Eleme COVID-19 isolation facility.
All On was established by Shell to contribute to addressing Nigeria’s access to energy gap through impact-investing and the creation of an enabling environment for players in the off-grid sector to thrive.
Through the COVID-19 Solar Relief (CSR) Fund, All On said it is contributing to interventions nationwide by providing a green power solution to aid in the containment and treatment of the virus, while also creating awareness of solar power for the development of the Nigerian economy.
Speaking, Wiebe Boer, CEO of All On, lauded GVE for the progress made thus far in Rivers State.
“In line with our mission, this project is another demonstration of our commitment to supporting relief efforts in the Niger Delta during these critical times and we commend GVE for its professional and timely execution,” Boer said.
He said GVE’s installation was executed from All On’s N180m COVID-19 Relief Fund (CSR) launched on March 31 aimed at supporting national efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic via four investee-companies – Auxano, Arnergy, GVE and Lumos. They are providing solar power for emergency health centres.
“As the leading indigenous PV solar mini-grid company in sub-Saharan Africa and a socially responsible organisation, we are delighted by the support from All On through the COVID-19 Solar Relief Fund and the opportunity to deploy the Eleme isolation solar system. This will enhance access to quality healthcare services to patients,” Ifeanyi Orajaka, MD of GVE Projects Limited, said.
“We also appreciate Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) and the Rivers State Government for their support towards the initiative,” he said.
Giving details, the GVE CEO said the solar-powered installation consisting of 30 panels and 16 batteries, with capacity to provide up to 30Kwh of power storage to the isolation center, was designed and installed by GVE in partnership with Port Harcourt-based Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN).
Chris Newsom, SDN programmes advisor, said SDN has been really pleased to play a facilitation role on this project.
“All credit to GVE and the Ministry of Health, Rivers State, for connecting efficiently to make this happen swiftly. We’re also extremely pleased to see that this installation is likely to have a long-term impact on the hospital and the services it provides,” Newsom said.
All On is indicated as an independent impact investing company. It was seeded with funding from Shell, and works with partners to increase access to commercial energy products and services for un-served and underserved off-grid energy markets in Nigeria, with a special focus on the Niger Delta.
All On invests in off-grid energy solutions spanning solar, wind, hydro, biomass and gas technologies deployed by both foreign and local access-to-energy companies that complement available grid power across Nigeria and help bridge the significant energy gap.
The powering of the isolation centre comes at a time Rivers State is fearing that the virus may explode on its hands as the third positive case, a hotel manager, is believed to have contracted the virus along with many other staff members and families of the hotel owner who died in secret after sneaking into Port Harcourt from Abuja.
Ignatius Chukwu, Port Harcourt
Culled from businessman.ng
