Nigeria has switched on a 1-megawatt solar mini-grid with battery storage in Gombe State and started construction on 16 additional megawatts across four other communities, as officials push decentralised power to reach rural enterprises starved of reliable electricity. The Rural Electrification Agency and the Ministry of Power commissioned the Talasse project in Balanga Local Government Area, paired with a 2.3-megawatt battery energy storage system designed to serve 6,028 connections. Together with the 16 megawatts being developed across Dukku, Bajoga, Kumo and Kaltungo, Gombe gains 17 megawatts of solar capacity.
The Talasse plant's design reflects a deliberate strategy by the Rural Electrification Agency to build projects around full local demand rather than residential use alone. Of the 6,028 connections, 5,929 are residential, 84 are commercial and 15 are earmarked for productive uses such as processing and income-generating activity. Abba Aliyu, the agency's managing director, said at the commissioning that "electricity access must be understood not merely as the provision of power, but as an enabler of economic opportunity." The plant was developed by Mids Dynamics Limited.
Mini-grids are self-contained power networks that can operate independently or connect to the main grid. For communities far from transmission lines, they can be built faster than grid extensions. Battery storage at Talasse allows the solar plant to keep supplying power after sunset, enabling shops, cold storage facilities and workshops to run into the evening. Joseph Tegbe, minister of power, highlighted expected benefits for farmers processing produce locally, traders preserving perishable goods, artisans powering equipment and young people building livelihoods in rural areas. The projects could reduce dependence on costly self-generation such as diesel and petrol generators.
The Rural Electrification Agency is shifting from a purely infrastructure-led approach toward one combining access with productive use, private-sector participation and financing. Aliyu cited the Nigeria Electrification Project and the $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up program, known as DARES, as frameworks for drawing in developers and financiers. The goal is to use public money to unlock private investment in underserved areas. Aliyu stressed that commissioning marks the start of the work, with emphasis on operations, maintenance, asset monitoring and community ownership.
Tegbe addressed what he called misinformation about electricity tariffs at the event. "There is no plan to increase electricity tariffs," he said, adding that the government's commitment is 24-hour power beginning with three energy zones: the Lagos-Ogun corridor, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor, and the Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor. Beyond those zones, the government plans to expand and improve the national grid along eastern and western corridors, including generation and transmission nodes through locations such as Funtua, Kainji, Gwagwalada, Gombe, Makurdi, Ajaokuta, Ikot Ekpene, Benin and Egbin.
Both officials asked residents to protect the new infrastructure from vandalism. Tegbe urged the people of Talasse to prevent destruction, while Aliyu said responsible consumption and community support would be essential for long-term success. The Rural Electrification Agency has not disclosed a cost for the Talasse project or a timeline for completing the four 16-megawatt sites. Aliyu described whether the plants deliver reliable service and draw enough commercial demand as the test that will determine if they pay off.