REA to invest $11m in 3.5MW solar plant for Kebbi community
Birnin Kebbi, June 2026 (NAN) The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has announced plans to install a 3.5 megawatts solar power plant in Ambursa town, Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area.
The project, valued at $11 million, is expected to be completed within eight months.
The Managing Director of the agency, Dr Abba Abubakar-Aliyu, disclosed this on Sunday during a courtesy visit to Gov. Nasir Idris in Birnin Kebbi.
Abubakar-Aliyu said an additional $6 million would be injected into the project by the technical partner, KELM-Elicoms, saying: “the plant is expected to serve over 1,500 households in the state.
“The Rural Electrification Agency is under the Federal Ministry of Power. Our mandate is to address electricity challenges in the country by connecting communities without power to the national grid and improving supply in underserved areas.
“Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government has approved a total of $750 million from the World Bank under the DARES programme for us to implement this project.
“The project is aimed at providing electricity access to 17.5 million Nigerians by deploying 1,300 mini-grids across the country. Out of this number, 250 will be interconnected to the national grid. It is based on this that we are in Kebbi.”
According to him, Kebbi is one of the beneficiaries of the mega solar plants being established nationwide, adding that the agency is deploying a 3.5MW solar plant in Kebbi that will be interconnected with the KAEDCO network.
“A total of $6 million has been earmarked as subsidy for this project. Our development partner, KELM-Elicoms, will also contribute another $6 million, that brings the total investment to over $11 million,” he revealed.
He said the project would inject 3.5MW into communities around Ambursa and neighboring areas, stating: “We envisage that about 1,500 households along that line will have access to electricity.”
Abubakar-Aliyu further disclosed that the agency would install 5,000 solar streetlights with battery storage capacity to ensure power supply even without sunlight.
He added that isolated solar power systems would be provided to some communities not connected to the national grid, especially in Bagudo, with an additional 15 mini-grid.
The REA boss assured that prepaid meters would be provided to all beneficiaries to protect them from estimated billing, noting that the project also included an 8-kilometer network with battery storage.
In his response, Gov. Idris commended the agency and its team for coming to the state for the groundbreaking of the project under the Renewed Hope Energy initiative.
He assured them of the state government’s full support to ensure the success of the project.
Idris also lauded President Bola Tinubu for funding the agency to address the country’s electricity challenges, noting that DISCOs alone could not provide power to all Nigerians.
