Over 17.5m Nigs To Benefit From Rural Electrification Project

The Rural Electrification Agency through its Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up, DARES, Project is to impact over seventeen point five million people with the new and improved electricity services.

The Managing Director, Rural Electrification Agency Dr Abba Aliyu made this known at the signing of the first batch of a grant agreement with some developers in Abuja.

The Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up, DARES, Project was set up to transform the nation’s energy landscape by expanding Access to clean and sustainable power.

The Managing Director Rural Electrification Agency Dr Abba Aliyu who described the DARES project as the biggest public sector-funded renewable project in the world , said it would electrify over 17.5 million Nigerians by deploying 1, 350 mini grids.

” This project aims to electrify 17.5 million Nigerians and we intend to provide or deploy 1,350 mini-grids, we also segregated the implementation of the project into two different components , the first component is deployment of mini-grid, be it isolated mini-grid or interconnected mini-grid, the second component is deployment of solar system. The aim of this project is to create access and enhance reliability of our intervention in different areas”.

He said the project was set up to transform the nation’s energy landscape by expanding Access to clean and sustainable power.

Dr Abba Aliyu lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his efforts towards tackling the energy deficit in the country.

” The government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Renewed Hope Agenda is facing the challenge of electricity access in the country and we are committed to address that challenge, the issue of 18 million Nigerians that are without access will soon come to an end by the intervention of the DARES and other projects that the Rural Electrification Agency is implementing “.

Earlier the Head, Nigeria Electrification Project Olufemi Akinyelure emphasized that the Agency would ensure that the projects were completed as soon as possible.

“We are looking to see how we can improve our internal working processes to ensure that we are able to turn over these projects at the speed that is required even for the developers and the financiers alike, I think all we can say now is that we are good to go”.

Some of the developers commended the Rural Electrification Agency for the opportunity and pledged total commitment to closing the energy gap in the country.

A total of eight developers signed the grant agreement.