
The Cross River State government has signed an agreement with a Dubai firm, Skipper Seil, to provide a 100kva solar lighting generating system which would ensure 24-hour power supply in Calabar, the state capital.
The solar power project is also expected to serve as a grid for industrial zones in all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
President of the Dubai Company, Jitender Sachdeva, assured that work would commence on the project in about two months.
Sachdeva said he was confident in the zeal and doggedness of Governor Ben Ayade, whom he described as exceptional.
“Establishing such a project in the state will compliment his efforts in providing good life for residents in the State,” he added.
Governor Ayade described the project as one for the future, saying that “solar power is a new way to go, because it is one way of reducing carbon emission to the atmosphere”.
He expressed optimism that the project will also create new job opportunities for young people of the state who may be interested in going into solar energy.
Ayade revealed that discussions were at an advanced stage for the immediate communities where the power plants will be located to enjoy power supply from the plants.