Joseph Bakare
The Federal Government is going to spend about $550 million for the provision of 20,000 Standalone Solar Systems (SHS) and Solar Hybrid mini-grids in at least 250 locations across the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari told Bloomberg in an interview on Tuesday that the Federal Government has commenced the decentralisation of the national grid to address the challenges of power supply across the country.
He added that the government had embarked on hundreds of projects and initiatives attracting funding from local and foreign investors on the power grid.
Buhari said: “We are also decentralising the national grid through renewable-driven mini-grids.
“The $550 million Nigeria Electrification Project has deployed more than 20,000 Standalone Solar Systems (SHS), as well as Solar Hybrid mini-grids in over 250 locations.
“Take my Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), a government-to-government initiative between the Governments of Nigeria and Germany, with Siemens AG, to upgrade the electricity grid with a $2 billion investment.
“Once signed into law, the constitutional amendment bill – recently voted through parliament – will allow state governments to generate and transmit their own electricity, further facilitating investor participation in our market and enabling states and local businesses to transmit excess supply to the grid.”
The country’s national grid has collapsed at least four times this year, throwing many parts of the country, including Lagos, Rivers, and Abuja into total blackout.