Afrigather Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Company (REA) touted its success on the latest UN Local weather Change Convention (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the group noting it has deployed greater than 100 mini-grids over the previous few years—together with its first interconnected hybrid photo voltaic set up—to help electrification and financial growth in Nigeria. The group additionally introduced it has commissioned a brand new management middle at REA’s headquarters within the capital metropolis of Abuja, a facility that can host information from the entire nation’s mini-grids. Nigerian officers at COP28 mentioned they wished to advertise what they known as the nation’s “data-driven vitality transition journey,” whereas additionally highlighting development in renewable vitality installations throughout the nation and their affect on Nigeria’s financial system.
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1. Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Company is deploying mini-grids throughout the nation, primarily utilizing solar energy as a distributed vitality useful resource to assist enhance entry to electrical energy in areas not served by the facility grid. Courtesy: Rural Electrification Company |
Mini-grids, in essence small microgrids in distant areas sometimes with out entry to an influence grid, make the most of software program to manage distributed vitality sources, usually solar energy (Determine 1) paired with battery vitality storage. The REA in October of final yr mentioned it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Africa Mini-Grid Builders Affiliation (AMDA) in an effort to hurry growth of mini-grids throughout the nation. Colorado-based Husk Energy has mentioned it needs to deploy 500 mini-grids in Nigeria by 2026. The corporate in October introduced it had obtained one other $43 million in funding to help growth of mini-grids in Africa and Asia.
The REA, established in 2005 beneath the nation’s Electrical Energy Sector Reform Act, is an Implementing Company of the Federal Authorities of Nigeria, directed by the nation’s Federal Ministry of Energy. The group’s major mission is to convey electrical energy to rural and unserved communities in a rustic that has a inhabitants of about 214 million, solely about 60% of whom have entry to energy, based on authorities information. The group on the COP28 assembly mentioned its deployment of greater than 100 photo voltaic hybrid mini-grids serves greater than 1.6 million solar energy residence techniques. The REA mentioned the deployments help about $9.2 billion in financial growth yearly.
“The company’s presence at COP28 is a testomony to our dedication to delivering sustainable and equitable vitality entry interventions. We imagine that renewable vitality isn’t just a supply of energy however a catalyst for transformative change, touching each side of society and financial system,” mentioned Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, CEO and managing director of REA, in an announcement. Nigeria at present receives most of its electrical energy from pure gas-fired energy vegetation (about 70.5% in 2022, based on Statista) and hydropower (about 27%, per Statista). Non-hydro renewable vitality, primarily solar energy, accounts for lower than 1% of the nation’s energy era. Authorities officers in October 2023 mentioned the nation’s put in energy era capability was about 14,000 MW, up about 1,000 MW from 2022, primarily because of the $1.3 billion, 700-MW Zungeru hydroelectric plant that got here on-line final summer season. The Zungeru plant, on the Kaduna River in northwestern Nigeria, is the nation’s second-largest hydropower station, behind the 760-MW Kainji hydropower facility on the Niger River.
The REA throughout COP28 mentioned it wished to spotlight “groundbreaking initiatives and applied sciences which might be bringing renewable vitality options to distant and underserved communities in Nigeria, positively impacting lives and fostering social fairness.” The group additionally mentioned it’s selling financial development via renewable vitality, whereas noting the significance of a resilient energy system “within the face of local weather change.” The group in a doc highlighted an goal to share “classes on data-driven and home-grown sustainability mechanisms designed to assist undertaking possession, focused on the optimization of unpolluted vitality interventions in Nigeria.” The REA in November of final yr introduced commissioning of Nigeria’s first interconnected hybrid photo voltaic mini-grid within the Toto group of Nasarawa State. The company mentioned the 352-kW mini-grid was the results of a collaboration among the many REA, Powergen Nigeria Restricted, and Abuja Electrical energy Distribution Plc.
The group additionally famous the significance of its collaboration with the AMDA, designed to extend entry to sustainable electrical energy for Nigeria and different African nations via mini-grids and the usage of decentralized energy era. The teams have mentioned they need all of Nigeria to have entry to electrical energy by 2030. Lamidi Niyi-Afuye, CEO of AMDA, in an announcement mentioned, “Mini-grids have the potential to rework the lives of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, and this partnership is a step in the correct route. AMDA is dedicated to working with all stakeholders to create an enabling surroundings for the mini-grid sector to scale and obtain sustainability.” Ahmad, the REA chief, mentioned of the settlement with AMDA: “We’re excited to accomplice with AMDA to additional enhance the event of mini-grids in Nigeria whereas deepening the affect of REA options for socio-economic development. This MOU will additional help the accelerated deployment of mini-grids and supply clear, sustainable, and reasonably priced electrical energy to extra Nigerians.”
The management middle in Abuja, operated by the REA and the Korea Institute for Development of Know-how, was constructed throughout the first section of the Korean Power Undertaking. That program is a bilateral partnership between South Korea and Nigeria. The REA mentioned companions within the undertaking embrace Iljin Electrical, S&D Powernics, Korea Good Grid Affiliation, and Know-how College of Korea. Adebayo Adelabu, who serves as Nigeria’s Minister of Energy, in an announcement mentioned the collaboration “will assist bridge the hole” between these with entry to electrical energy in Nigeria, and people at present with out entry. “In Nigeria, we’ve got a novel historical past that has taken us via various phases of this journey towards the fascinating change we try to see within the vitality sector,” mentioned Adelabu. Abubakar Ali-Dapshima, Nigeria’s director of Renewable Power and Rural Energy Entry, in saying the management middle, mentioned the power is “not merely a technological innovation; it’s a testomony to our collective dedication to progress, effectivity, and the empowerment of our folks.”
The Korean Power Undertaking additionally introduced development of 4 mini-grids in areas of what’s often called the Federal Capital Territory, a area that features Abuja. Two of these installations, a 900-kW photo voltaic mini-grid in Rubochi and a 100-kW photo voltaic mini-grid in Ikwa, are anticipated to come back on-line by the tip of March. The opposite two amenities, with mixed capability of 600 kW, are anticipated on-line by year-end. Ali-Dapshima in an announcement mentioned, “I rejoice with the folks of Rubochi, Ikwa, Gada Biyu, and Kugbaru because the beneficiary communities of this impactful help,” which he mentioned is “remodeling the socio-economic standing of the folks.” The REA, together with growing mini-grids, is implementing a number of applications in Nigeria, together with the Rural Electrification Fund; Nigeria Electrification Undertaking; Photo voltaic Energy Naija; Energizing Schooling Programme; Energizing Economies Initiative; Energizing Agriculture Programme; and the Power for All—Mass Rural Electrification and Analysis and Innovation Hub.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
