Ebonyi State Government is to acquire 5.5 megawatt biomass plant from Germany which would utilise rice husk and other available waste materials to generate electricity.

Governor David Umahi, who made this known after inspecting two of the three state-owned rice modern mills on Tuesday, said the plant would arrive the country in the next four months.

He also disclosed that one megawatt of rice husk plant and another 500 kilowatt would arrive the state soon.

Governor Umahi added that the government was ready to meet the daily water intake of the three rice mills located in the three senatorial zones of the state.

The inspection visit took the governor to Iboko in Izzi Local Government Area and Ikwo where he inspected the condition of the facilitates, on-going rehabilitation works and the production and packaging of various sizes of rice bags .

Governor Umahi said the essence of the visit was to have first-hand knowledge of the water needs of the mills especially for the parboiling sections which had attained over 80 percent completion.

He assured that excavators would be deployed to the areas for dredging of available natural water sources to meet the water requirement of about 60,000 cubic metres.

Umahi added that the state government had entered into an agreement with Akwa Ibom State to ship their rice to Ebonyi for milling.

The governor was accompanied on the visit by the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Chief Francis Nwifuru, and some Executive Council members.

•Photo shows Governor Umahi.

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