The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, on Thursday said the newly launched 7-megawatt solar power project at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, will permanently end the hospital’s dependence on the national grid and save lives by ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply for critical health facilities.
Dr. Abdullahi, speaking at the official flag-off, revealed that an energy audit conducted by the Commission showed AKTH spends about ₦150 million monthly on electricity bills, in addition to millions spent on diesel, a situation he described as “unsustainable and dangerous for a health institution of this scale.”
He noted that the solarisation project, equipped with battery storage, SCADA-based monitoring systems, and sustainability measures, will provide stable power to the hospital’s 700-bed capacity, intensive care units, operating theatres, dialysis machines, and vaccine storage facilities.
“This is not just about energy savings; it is about saving lives. With this project, we are ensuring that no surgery is interrupted by power failure and no patient in intensive care is left vulnerable because of blackouts,” the ECN boss said.
The project, which is the first pilot of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Solarisation Project, was formally inaugurated by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji. The Minister praised the initiative as a key step in the nationwide programme that will eventually cover at least one federal university and one teaching hospital in each state.
Dr. Abdullahi assured that the Energy Commission will sustain close monitoring of the project to guarantee efficiency and reliability, adding that the lessons from the AKTH pilot will shape future rollouts nationwide.
“With this solarisation project, we are not only powering a hospital, we are powering hope. What begins in Kano will spread across Nigeria, ensuring that our health institutions and universities never have to depend on an unreliable grid again,” he stated.
