More than 20,000 communities in Nigeria are without electricity supply.
Abba Aliyu, the Chief Executive of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), disclosed this on Monday during the inauguration of two mini-grid projects in Bakin Ciyawa and Kwande communities in Plateau State. Aliyu, represented by Doris Udoh, the Executive Director of Rural Electrification Fund, said the projects, with combined capacity of 550KWp, were built under the Interconnected Mini-grid Accelerated Scheme (IMAS). He said the projects would supply uninterrupted power supply to over 3,500 households and businesses.
The REA boss said the projects were part of the 11 million euro grant from the European Union and the German government to provide electricity for rural communities. “The total package they gave us is over 11 million euros which has been divided according to the capacity needs of each community. More than 60 percent of this project was donated by the EU and the German government. Under the present government, we are energising a total of 3,700 communities but we are doing it in phases. It is going to be 100 communities per state and we are going to be infusing a total of 370MW of clean energy.
“The first phase which is going to be 25 communities per state will being 925 communities across the Federation and we will be infusing over 92MW of clean energy into our energy space. One of the most profound benefits of these solar mini-grids is their impact on the environment. By replacing traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources such as diesel generators and kerosene, these mini-grids are significantly reducing carbon emissions. The 550 kWp system installed in Bakin Ciyawa and Kwande will reduce an estimated 600 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
“This carbon emission reduction is equivalent to taking approximately 130 cars off the road or planting about 15,000 trees each year. These reductions are crucial in mitigating climate change and moving towards a greener future for Nigeria.”
Over 200,000 communities in Nigeria without electricity—REA
