Things are off to a good start for Engie Energy Access in Nigeria. The subsidiary of the French energy company Engie, which specializes in decentralized solutions for access to electricity, has successfully completed its first project in this West African country. It is an off-grid solar system that has just gone into operation in Niger State.
The mini-grid is equipped with solar photovoltaic panels capable of delivering 90 kW of power. The small-scale plant is connected to a power grid supplying 300 customers in the community of Gbangba. In addition to households, the new facility provides electricity to micro and small enterprises (MEPs).
An NEP project
“This mini-grid will promote the socio-economic development and prosperity of the Gbangba community, its residents and neighbors. It will serve grocery stores, bakeries and provide solutions for cell phone charging. It will boost farmers’ yields and food production by powering irrigation pumps, grain mills, wood and metal workshops, telecommunication towers and other processing plants,” explained Bankole Cardoso, the managing director of Engie Energy Access Nigeria, at the mini-grid inauguration ceremony.
Read also- GABON: Engie to electrify 40,000 homes with solar home systems
The ceremony was attended by several personalities, including the French ambassador, Emmanuelle Blatmann, and Mamman Musa, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure. This presence testifies to the support of local authorities to the Engie project. The Gbangba solar mini-grid is coming on stream as Nigeria implements one of the largest electrification projects in its history, financed by the World Bank.
In fact, as part of the Nigeria Electricity Project (NEP), Engie Energy Access has signed a performance-based grant agreement with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deploy its decentralized electricity access solutions in rural Nigeria. The REA grant also covers the recently commissioned mini-grid in Gbangba. Engie plans to install 100 solar mini-grids across Nigeria in the near future.
Jean Marie Takouleu