FG restores electricity to Gombe community after 17 years with solar mini-grid
The federal government has inaugurated a 1-megawatt solar mini-grid in Tallasse, Gombe state, restoring electricity to a community that had been without power for 17 years.
The project, delivered through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in partnership with the Gombe state government and a private developer, includes a 2.4-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system and already serves 6,028 connections.
The commissioning also marked the flag-off of a 16-megawatt network of four interconnected solar mini-grids across Dukku, Bajoga, Kumo and Kaltungo communities in Gombe state.
The projects are expected to extend electricity supply to homes, farms, markets and small businesses, with the aim of boosting economic activities and reducing dependence on costly alternative power sources.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Joseph Tegbe, minister of power, said the project marked a new chapter for Tallasse after nearly two decades without electricity.
He said the investments reflected President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that renewable energy projects were being deployed across several states.
“The true significance of these investments will be measured in the daily lives they improve: the farmer who can process produce closer to home, the trader who can preserve perishable goods, the artisan who can power equipment, and the young person who can build a livelihood within the community,” Tegbe said.
He said the projects could strengthen public services, reduce dependence on costly self-generation and attract businesses as they become operational.
Tegbe added that the ministry, working with the Gombe state government, developers and host communities, would focus on translating the infrastructure into reliable electricity supply, productive activities and sustainable economic growth.
He urged residents to protect the facilities against vandalism to ensure their long-term operation.
Muhammadu Yahaya, governor of Gombe, described the projects as the outcome of collaboration between the state government and the federal government through the REA.
Yahaya said reliable electricity would have a wider economic impact in agricultural communities such as Balanga, where the absence of power had constrained productive activities for years.
He said the integration of electricity with rice milling, groundnut processing, flour production and electric mobility would strengthen the local economy beyond household lighting.
The Tallasse mini-grid is equipped with electric groundnut oil processing, rice milling and flour grinding facilities, alongside electric tricycles intended to support productive and commercial activities.
Abba Aliyu, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the REA, said the agency was shifting its focus from counting electricity connections and installed megawatts to measuring economic outcomes.
He said access to electricity without reliable supply limited its impact, explaining that the projects combined battery storage, intelligent monitoring, productive-use equipment and sustainable operating models.
According to Aliyu, the goal is to develop electricity ecosystems that support economic activities rather than simply install power plants.
The projects are being delivered under the distributed access through renewable energy scale-up programme.
The federal government is pursuing multiple approaches to expand electricity access, including strengthening the national grid and accelerating the deployment of mini-grids, embedded generation, solar home systems and dedicated power solutions for universities, markets and agricultural clusters.
Members of the Gombe state executive council, traditional rulers and community leaders from Komu, Kaltung and Tallasse, members of the national and state assemblies, and religious leaders attended the ceremonies.
