The Federal Government has commissioned a 1-megawatt, MW, solar mini-grid project equipped with a 2.4-megawatt-hour, MWh battery energy storage system, in Tallasse community of Balanga Local Government Area, Gombe State.
The commissioning ceremony, held on Saturday, also marked the official groundbreaking for four additional interconnected mini-grid projects with a combined capacity of 16MW across Dukku, Bajoga, Kumo and Kaltungo communities in Gombe State.
The project also features the deployment and launch of productive-use equipment, including electric tricycles, an electric groundnut oil processing plant, a modular electric rice mill and electric multi-flour grinding machines. The equipment is designed to connect reliable electricity directly to mobility, agriculture, processing, enterprise and income generation.
This follows the recent groundbreaking ceremony for a 17.7MW interconnected mini-grid project in Iwo, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, described the project as another important outcome of the strategic partnership between the Gombe State Government and the Federal Government through the Rural Electrification Agency, REA.
“For us in Gombe State, this project is significant because it connects energy directly to the economic strengths of our people. Balanga is an agricultural community. 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.
“Our partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency demonstrates what can be achieved when federal and state governments align around a common development objective. We deeply appreciate His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Honourable Minister of Power and the leadership of REA for translating policy into infrastructure that our people can see, use and benefit from. This is Renewed Hope made tangible at the community level,” the governor said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, emphasised that the projects reflects the practical realisation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to ensure that citizens’ access to opportunities is not determined by their geographical location.
“From Kwara State and the Federal Capital Territory to last Wednesday’s event in Oyo State, and now here in Gombe, renewable power is spreading across Nigeria with unmistakable momentum.
“This is the practical expression of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda: taking investment to communities and expanding the foundations of shared prosperity,” Tegbe stated.
The minister noted that the true value of the infrastructure extends beyond basic household lighting, with the projects aimed at promoting rural economic empowerment.
“The true significance of these investments will be measured in the daily lives they improve: the farmer who can process produce closer to home, the trader who can preserve perishable goods, the artisan who can power equipment, and the young person who can build a livelihood within the community,” Tegbe added.
Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said the 1MW project directly serves 6,028 connections, comprising 5,929 residential units, 84 commercial connections and 15 dedicated nodes for productive economic activities.
He noted that Balanga represents the direction in which REA is taking rural electrification nationwide, shifting the focus from simply counting connections to measuring the economic outcomes enabled by electricity.
“For many years, the conversation around electricity access has understandably focused on how many people we connect and how many megawatts we deploy. Those numbers remain important. But the next frontier is to ask a more fundamental question: what happens after the electricity arrives?
“Does the farmer process more of what he produces? Does a young entrepreneur establish a new business? Does the cost of mobility reduce? Can a woman who previously spent hours processing agricultural produce increase her productivity and income? Can businesses operate longer and employ more people? Those are the outcomes that ultimately define successful electrification,” Aliyu said.
He added that the inclusion of a 2.4MWh battery energy storage system also demonstrates REA’s growing emphasis on the reliability and quality of electricity supply.
“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. We are building electricity ecosystems, not simply installing power plants,” he said.
FG commissions 1MW Solar Mini-Grid, begins construction of 16MW projects in Gombe