REA Maps 750,000 Communities to Accelerate Renewable Energy Projects

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) says it has identified more than 750,000 communities through Nigeria's first nationwide electricity mapping exercise, giving the agency a detailed guide for expanding renewable energy projects to places that still lack reliable power.

The announcement was made on Monday by the REA's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abba Aliyu, during an interview on Channels Television's The Morning Brief.

He said the mapping exercise will direct where solar projects and mini grids are deployed under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme.

The exercise is important because it gives planners and investors clearer information on where electricity is most urgently needed, helping to reduce delays and poor project siting.

Nigeria still has many people without stable electricity, particularly in rural communities. Expanding renewable energy has become one of the country's main options for reaching areas where extending the national grid is difficult or costly.

The REA said detailed mapping now gives it a stronger foundation for planning future projects.

Data now guiding renewable energy rollout

Aliyu said the nationwide mapping exercise is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

He said it enabled the agency to identify more than 750,000 communities, providing information needed to determine where renewable energy projects should be located.

Instead of relying on estimates, the agency now has location-based information that can help identify communities with little or no electricity access. This allows renewable energy projects to be planned using evidence rather than assumptions.

The mapping exercise also supports private companies interested in investing in mini grids and solar projects by providing a better understanding of potential project locations.

Aliyu linked the exercise to the DARES programme, which aims to expand electricity access through renewable energy and reach about 17.5 million Nigerians.

Mapping supports mini grid expansion

The REA said planning is already being translated into project delivery through an increase in mini grid installations.

Aliyu said more than 1,000 mini grids are currently being deployed nationwide.

"Today, for the first time in the country, we are deploying more than 1,000 mini-grids nationwide. These include isolated mini-grids, while we have also been aggressive in the deployment of interconnected mini-grids," he said.

He disclosed that the agency is also working with electricity distribution companies on 48 interconnected mini grid projects in different parts of Nigeria.

Aliyu said work has started in several locations, with delivery timelines of between six and eight months.

Apart from project planning, the REA is also trying to increase investment in the renewable energy sector.

Aliyu said the agency has secured agreements with several Nigerian banks covering equipment financing, debt financing and bridge financing for private companies involved in renewable energy projects.

The financing arrangements are intended to help developers secure funding more easily and expand electricity access to communities that have long depended on expensive generators or have no electricity at all.

Aliyu also pointed to progress already recorded under the agency's renewable energy programmes, noting that 15 universities have now been fully connected to solar farms.

The university projects form part of the DARES programme and illustrate how the agency is combining planning, financing and project delivery to improve electricity access.

With detailed mapping now completed and hundreds of renewable energy projects being rolled out, the REA is placing greater emphasis on using reliable data to determine where electricity investments can deliver the greatest impact for communities, institutions and businesses throughout Nigeria.