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By Olanrewaju Lawal
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has declared its interest to install 3.5 megawatts of Solar plant at Ambursa town, Birnin Kebbi local Government areas of Kebbi state worth 12 million US dollars.
Managing Director of the agency, Dr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu disclosed this during his visit to Governor Nasir Idris in Birnin Kebbi along his team.
Aliyu explained that, an additional investment of 6m US dollars would still be injected into the project by the partner engineer,KELM-Elicoms in the state that would serve over 1,500 households in the state.
He said: ‘the rural Electricity is an agency under the federal ministry of power and our mandate is to address the electricity challenges in the country by connecting the communities without power to national grid and improved the power supply of any community that were underserved.
” Under the leadership of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. President approved the total sum of 750 million’s dollars to IBA from the world bank for us to implement it for the project.
“The project, your Excellency creates electricity access to 17.5 million Nigerians by deploying 1,300 mini grids across the country of which 250 of such are going to be connected to the grid.And it is based on that connection to mini grid that is why we are in Kebbi state”.
Aliyu disclosed that, out of the money, Kebbi State would benefited from the mega solar plants to be constructed across the country.
“We are going to deploy 3.5 mega watts solar plant in Kebbi that will interconnect with the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company network. A total sum of 6million dollars were earmarked as subsidy for this project. And the development partner engineer we are here with,will also bring total sum of 6 million dollars , making a total of over 11 millions dollars.
“The project will generate 3.5 megawatts, and we.are injecting 3.5 MW into communities especially communities around entire Ambursa and neighbouring communities. We evisage that we would provide electricity for about 1,500 households along that entire line”.
Aliyu disclosed that they are going to install solar streets light, 5,000 solar plant capacity so that , if there was no sunlight, the power plant could still provide electricity.
He added that they would still provide isolation solar lights in some communities that would not be connected to national grids especially in Bagudo areas with additional 15 mini grids.
In his reaction, Kebbi Gov, Nasir Idris commended the agency and his team for coming to the State for breakgroud of the projecf undee the Renewed Hope Energy.
Idris who commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for financing the agency to address the electricity crisis in the country, promised that the state would give them maximum support needed to succeed in the execution of the project.
