The Federal Government will soon initiate a legislative and judicial framework for the utilisation of renewable energy in the country, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has said.

Onu who said this while declaring open a stakeholders’ forum on the implementation of renewable energy policy/feed-in-Tariffs in Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday also called on private investors to invest in renewable energy sector in order to promote sustainable industrialisation of the country.

Describing renewable energy sector as a potential gold mine, Onu said the target of providing electricity for all by the year 2030 could only be realised with the participation of the private sector.

The minister said that the government was committed to removing all obstacles hindering the utilisation of renewable energy in Nigeria.

Lamenting the low level of exploitation of renewable energy for the generation of electricity in the country, Onu said that renewable energy could be used in the energy mix to create jobs and reduce poverty.

Renewable energy, he added, could help in raising the living standard of rural dwellers.

In his welcome address, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of Energy Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Eli Bala, said in addition to paucity of supply, environmental considerations also supported the use of renewable energy sources for driving sustainable development.

He said Nigeria was blessed with abundant biomass resources that could be exploited and transformed into electricity to enhance electricity access from 60 per cent to 75 per cent by 2020.

The forum, which is ongoing, is expected to discuss barriers to electricity generation and proffer solutions to move the country’s renewable energy subsector to greater heights.