Construction has started on five interconnected mini-grid projects with a combined capacity of 17.7 megawatts across Oyo State, the Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe announced at a groundbreaking ceremony. The projects, located in Akinyele, Ido, Ibadan North, Egbeda and Lagelu Local Government Areas, are named the Bola, Jiboye, Molade-Adelubi, Ogo Oluwa and Sooko-Elega interconnected mini-grids. A 17.74-megawatt battery energy storage system will support electricity supply and improve reliability across the schemes.
The minister said the projects aim to improve electricity access to homes and businesses, reduce dependence on generators, extend working hours and create investment and job creation opportunities in beneficiary communities. The initiative forms part of the Federal Government's broader efforts to expand electricity access under President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda. The Rural Electrification Agency, Paras Energy and Natural Resources Development Limited, the World Bank and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company have contributed to the initiative.
Tegbe dismissed reports of a planned increase in electricity tariffs, stating that the government's priority is to improve electricity supply and work towards round-the-clock power rather than announce rate increases. The government has identified three proposed energy corridors - the Lagos-Ogun corridor, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor and the Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor - as part of plans to improve electricity availability.
Similar mini-grid interventions supported by the Rural Electrification Agency have been implemented in communities across Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa and Kaduna states. Mini-grids supply electricity to communities through localised power systems, either independently or in coordination with the wider electricity network.