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185-year-old Finnish company, Wartsila, plans 100% renewable energy future for Nigeria; realistic?

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Björn Ullbro

Wartsila, 185-year-old Finnish company providing sustainable solutions to marine and energy sectors, has revealed its plans for a future of total reliance on renewable energy for Nigeria and other countries around the world.

At its Smart Energy Forum hosted by the Embassy of Finland in Nigeria, Abuja, the company discussed its plans for Nigeria in the energy and marine sectors, with focus on innovation.

Wartsila touted its record in the Nigeria power and marine sectors, detailing how it’s near-10-year presence in the country had seen positive changes both in its offerings and the operating environment.

Declaring the forum open, the Finnish ambassador, Jyrki Pulkkinen, said Finland had been investing massively in renewable energy to scale back the impact of climate change. He praised Wartsila and other Finnish companies driving energy innovation for their efforts in helping to create a sustainable energy future for the world.

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Mr Björn Ullbro, Vice President, Africa and Europe, Wärtsilä Energy Business, spoke on world energy trends, while
Mr Marc Thiriet, Director, Africa West, Wärtsilä Energy Business, provided insights into Wärtsilä’s global operations, track record and ambitions.

Mr Wale Yusuff, Managing Director, Nigeria, Wärtsilä Energy Business, led discussions on gas and renewables vision, focusing on flexibility of power systems.

Mr Nicolas Mathon, Senior Manager, Project Development, Wärtsilä Energy Business, in discussing the place of IPPS in Nigeria’s energy sector, said IPPS were still very much needed in Nigeria, while projecting a positive future for IPPS in Nigeria.

How Wartsila’s lofty renewable energy ambitions will be realised in Nigeria remains to be seen given the intractable challenges that continue to plague the sector. Cost, reforms, policy consistency are some of the issues experts argue must be urgently addressed for meaningful innovation to become mainstream in the sector.

Founded in 1834, Wartsila has prints in close to 200 countries, accounting for installed power plant capacity of 70GW in 177 countries.

The company operates in over 200 locations across over 80 countries in the world. It has been in Nigeria since 2010, employing about 89 Nigerians, with focus on service and maintenance of power plants, marine and oil and gas services.

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