Yemisi Izuora
Ms Connie Ochola, regional marketing manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Lucy Electic has said that forward looking governments in the region are proactively developing infrastructure and that the company anticipates continuing its investment in the short and medium term.
The firm is a leading secondary distribution solutions company with a great heritage and strong history in West Africa.
“There are currently over 100 projects underway in Nigeria alone,” Ms Ochola continues, “covering solar, hydro, PV, biomass, wind, oil, coal, natural gas and grid infrastructure. In West Africa, the Northern Nigeria region has recorded some of the highest solar radiation in the world making PV projects a focus for renewable energy in the region.”
Smaller, local PV and other low carbon schemes allow communities rapid access to electricity and, according to Lucy Electric’s Connie Ochola, “installation can take less than a year in contrast with major infrastructure development which may take up to eight years and we anticipate major growth in these installations across rural Africa in the future.”
Lucy Electric is a global leader in switching, protection and automation solutions for electrical distribution systems, with over 100 years’ industry experience. The African market continues to grow to present new opportunities to put the innovative solutions and global advances into practice as part of a developing infrastructure.
In November, the rebranded Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC) will gather all the stakeholders within the power value chain in Lagos, from government to utilities, financiers and suppliers, and focus on the many investment opportunities in the Nigerian power sector as well as the bold turnaround plan of the Nigerian government, known as the Power Sector Recovery Program, which is aimed at restoring investor confidence in the sector.
“We have been attending this event for many years”
Lucy Electric is a returning platinum sponsor for Future Energy Nigeria and a category sponsor at the awards again this year. “Alongside sister events African Utility Week and Future Energy East Africa, we have been attending this event for many years,” says Ms Ochola, “the continued electrification across the region is creating great prospects in the sector and Future Energy Nigeria gives us the chance to showcase our products, services and leading expertise in one of our key growth markets.”
She adds: “last year we had great engagement with new and existing customers and identified more opportunities where we can truly add value across distribution networks in Africa. We have been active in West Africa for a long time and we are looking forward to continuing to grow our business here. We will be focusing on our automation product range at the show, which has been designed to deliver enhanced network intelligence for our customers, the highest levels of operational efficiency and facilitate easy flexible upgrades to meet our customers’ changing needs.”
Future Energy Nigeria (formerly known as the West African Power Industry Convention – WAPIC), with the support of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, distribution companies and prominent generation companies, will once again host many of the country’s leading energy decision makers from 7-8 November 2017 at the Eko Hotel & Suite Convention Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
Future Energy Nigeria will gather high-level representatives from governments, power generation companies, transmission and distribution companies, off takers, developers, Investors, Equipment manufacturers and providers, technology providers, EPCs, legal and consulting firms all with a shared goal of supporting the on-going implementation of finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s energy challenges. Co-located to the event is the Oil & Gas Council’s Nigeria Assembly.