said the 17.7MW Ibadan project reflects the scale and ambition of a new generation of distributed renewable energy projects being developed under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Aliyu added that the Ibadan project forms part of a much larger pipeline of investments being facilitated by the agency.
“Across Nigeria, we are demonstrating that distributed energy can move beyond addressing electricity access alone to becoming an important pillar of electricity reliability and economic development. From the interconnected mini-grids we have already broken ground in different parts of the country to the new generation capacity now coming into Ibadan, our objective remains consistent: reliable electricity that powers productive economies.” Aliyu said.
The REA is also advancing an additional 17.7MW of projects in Ibadan, targeting strategic institutions and economic centres, including the University College Hospital, the University of Ibadan and The Polytechnic, Ibadan. Together, these interventions demonstrate a deliberate strategy to build clusters of reliable generation capacity around communities, public institutions and centres of economic activity.
In his goodwill message, the Managing Director of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Mr. Deolu Ijose noted that under this project, IBEDC’s existing distribution infrastructure will be utilised to integrate and deliver electricity generated by PARAS Energy. This arrangement brings together existing network assets and additional generation capacity to improve electricity access and support better energy outcomes for the benefiting communities.
“It is a pleasure to join you for the groundbreaking of the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) interconnected mini-grid project being developed across five community clusters within IBEDC’s franchise in Oyo State. On behalf of IBEDC, I commend the Federal government through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Paras Energy, the World Bank, the Oyo State Government and all stakeholders for bringing this important initiative to this stage.
“The project will deploy a combined 17.7 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system supported by battery energy storage, interconnected with IBEDC’s existing distribution infrastructure. This integrated solution is expected to improve electricity availability and supply reliability for households, businesses, and productive-use customers across the beneficiary communities.” Ijose said.
In his address, Olubadan of Ibadan, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, thanked the government and partnering agencies for considering Ibadan for the mini-grid project, adding that the project, when completed, will attract more investors to Ibadan city.
Olubadan urged the people to take ownership of the project and protect it from vandalism.
The event was attended by several Ibadan High Chiefs, serving Senators and House of Representatives members, Baales from various communities, and the Governor of Oyo State, who was represented by the Commissioner for Energy, as well as representatives of the benefiting communities.
The Oyo State Governor was represented at the ceremony by the Commissioner for Energy.
