FG commissions 1MW solar mini-grid, flags off 16MW projects in Gombe
The Federal Government has commissioned a one-megawatt (MW) solar mini-grid project with a 2.4-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system in Tallasse community, Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The event on Saturday also featured the groundbreaking for four interconnected mini-grid projects with a combined capacity of 16MW in Dukku, Bajoga, Kumo and Kaltungo communities in the state.
The projects are expected to support electricity access and economic activities, including agriculture, food processing, transportation and small businesses.
Productive-use equipment deployed alongside the Tallasse project includes electric tricycles, an electric groundnut oil processing plant, a modular electric rice mill and electric flour-grinding machines.
The development follows the groundbreaking for a 17.7MW interconnected mini-grid project in Iwo, Oyo State, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, Gov. Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State described the project as an outcome of the strategic partnership between the state government and the Federal Government through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
Yahaya said the project would connect reliable electricity to the economic activities of residents, particularly in agriculture and food processing.
“When reliable electricity is combined with rice milling, groundnut processing, flour production and electric mobility, we are not merely lighting homes; we are strengthening an entire local economy,” he said.
The governor commended President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Power and the REA leadership for supporting the development of electricity infrastructure in the state.
Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the projects reflected the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda to expand electricity access and economic opportunities across communities.
He said the government was extending renewable energy investments to different parts of the country, citing projects in Kwara, the Federal Capital Territory, Oyo and Gombe.
Tegbe said the impact of the investments would be measured by their contribution to agricultural processing, business growth, reduced transportation costs and employment generation.
“The true significance of these investments will be measured in the daily lives they improve,” he said.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Aliyu, said the 1MW Tallasse project served 6,028 connections, comprising 5,929 residential, 84 commercial and 15 productive-use connections.
Aliyu said the agency was shifting its focus from measuring electrification solely by the number of connections and megawatts deployed to assessing the economic benefits delivered to communities.
He said the inclusion of a 2.4MWh battery energy storage system underscored the importance of reliable electricity supply in maximising the economic benefits of renewable energy projects.
“Access without reliability limits economic impact. This is why we are increasingly integrating storage, intelligent monitoring, productive-use equipment and sustainable operating models into our interventions,” he said.
Aliyu added that the agency was working to develop electricity systems that could support businesses, improve productivity and generate sustainable economic opportunities.
The commissioning comes amid Federal Government efforts to expand distributed renewable energy as part of Nigeria’s broader power-sector reforms.
Through the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up programme and other interventions, the government is seeking to attract private investment and promote commercially sustainable distributed-energy projects.
The strategy complements conventional grid expansion with interconnected and isolated mini-grids, embedded generation, solar home systems and dedicated renewable-energy solutions for universities, markets, agricultural clusters and other productive communities.
