The Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria has announced a partnership with Husk Power Systems Partner to install up to 250MW of decentralized renewable energy (DRE) projects across Nigeria.
This collaboration sealed under Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to support the Nigerian Federal Government’s goals for energy access, energy transition, and energy security. The projects align with the US $750M Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project, funded by the World Bank and administered by REA, set to launch later in 2024.
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Under the MoU, there will be various rural and peri-urban DRE projects, including power generation and distribution through interconnected minigrids (IMGs) and isolated minigrids, rooftop commercial and industrial (C&I) solar installations, productive use of energy (PUE), and sales and financing of appliances.
Additionally, the partnership will explore innovative models such as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and community services like e-mobility, agricultural processing and cold storage, and clean cooking. REA and Husk will also collaborate to promote the mass adoption of energy-efficient appliances and PUE devices through sales, distribution, and credit financing.
Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of REA highlighted the partnership as a significant step towards establishing a network of Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs) to deliver clean and reliable electricity across Nigeria.
Manoj Sinha, Co-Founder and CEO of Husk Power Systems on the other hand emphasized the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in achieving universal electrification. He noted that the collaboration would accelerate the deployment of Husk’s AI-enabled energy platform, benefiting millions of Nigerians and enhancing climate adaptation and resilience.