The Federal Government yesterday inaugurated Nigeria’s first interconnected mini-grid with 2,000 connections to homes, businesses, and industries in the Toto community, Nasarawa State.

The mini-grid, a 352.24kWp (kilowatts peak) facility, which was set up under the Nigeria Electrification Project, NEP, of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, was funded by the World Bank.

The government said the project would serve at least 180,000 people in the Toto community which had remained underserved for over a decade.

The facility, which was built by PowerGen Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, will supply power to 141 commercial entities, 45 public institutions, 16 productive businesses, and 1,798 residential homes.

The mini-grid combines solar panels of 352.24kWp, a battery capacity of 972kWh, and a diesel-powered generator.

Speaking at the commissioning event in Toto, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu said delivering off-grid projects was one of the main focus for reducing energy power in rural communities across the country.

Chief Adelabu noted that mini-grids in unserved and underserved communities would boost economic activities for small businesses and small-holder farmers across the country.

He stated that the “partnership among REA, PowerGen Limited, and the AEDC represents the synergy we aspire to achieve across our sector. It is a significant stride towards fulfilling the government’s goal of universal electricity access by 2030.

“The mini-grid we are inaugurating today is, therefore, a beacon of hope and a living proof of our commitment to reinvigorate the power sector, as it symbolizes our pledge to provide affordable energy to our rural communities and empower our citizens, regardless of their economic status.

As today’s milestone propels us forward, we cannot fail to identify the numerous potentials ahead of this community and ahead of us as a nation. We have, by this historic launch, opened a pathway to economic growth and prosperity of the beneficiary communities, as part of the President’s desire to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians. To the people of Toto and the government of Nasarawa State, this mini-grid is for you. I congratulate you for this symbol of progress and vessel for a brighter future”.

In his remarks, the Managing Director/CEO, REA, Engr. Ahmad Salihijo explained at 352.24Kwp, the facility was one of the nation’s largest inter-connected mini-grid.

The successful completion of this project is another testament to the power of strategic, inter-sectoral collaboration. At the REA, we continue to witness the strength of collaborations in the nation’s off-grid space. We therefore appreciate the commitment of the REA team, the AEDC, and the PowerGen team whose dedication led to the successful completion of this project. Most importantly, we acknowledge the support and acceptance from the people of the Toto community.

The Toto Interconnected Mini-Grid is a first-of-its-kind in Nigeria, creatively developed by Powergen Interconnected Energy Limited under the NEP Performance Based-Grant program and designed to provide reliable electricity to a total of 2,000 households and micro, small and medium enterprises in the community”.

Also speaking, the Managing Director, of PowerGen, Seun Edun described the Toto IMG as iconic as it was the first interconnected mini-grid in Nigeria, pointing out that the project was the result of the vision of the Federal Government with the support of the World Bank.

The Toto interconnected mini-grid is a hybrid of 352kW solar PVs, a 972kWh battery energy storage system, and a 400kW diesel generator supplying electricity to over 2,000 residential and commercial customer connections and still increasing thereby improving the quality of lives of about 14,000 people living in Toto community”, he stated.

He disclosed that PowerGen will continue to contribute towards achieving the government’s target of providing electricity to the over 85 million unserved and many more under-served Nigerians, adding the company would be investing $100 million between 2024 and 2025 in this regard.

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