Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has commissioned a 581-kilowatt-peak interconnected solar mini-grid with a 1.4-megawatt battery energy storage system at Oke-Oyi in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The project, delivered under the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (IMAS) with support from the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, is expected to provide reliable electricity to about 1,800 households and businesses in the community.
Tegbe said the expanded battery storage capacity would enable the mini-grid to supply electricity beyond daylight hours, describing the project as an example of how public funding and private investment could work together to expand electricity access.
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The Minister explained that the initiative would help power businesses, create economic opportunities and improve livelihoods, while urging residents to protect the infrastructure against vandalism and other criminal activities.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) described the Oke-Oyi project as an example of how interconnected mini-grids could combine renewable energy with existing distribution networks to improve electricity supply and attract private investment.
The project was supported by the European Union, the German Government through GIZ, UNICEF and other development partners, with contributions from the Ministry of Power, Kwara State Government, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited.
Representing the Kwara State Governor, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, commended the Nigerian Government’s efforts to improve electricity supply, noting that reliable power could help reduce rural-urban migration.
Tegbe declared the project commissioned on behalf of the Nigerian Government, describing it as part of ongoing efforts to expand energy access and support Nigeria’s transition to cleaner and more sustainable electricity.
