TUE MAY 13 2025-theGBJournal| Backed by real-world data, a new report released today presents the key learnings and insights from over three years of supporting four pioneering interconnected minigrids (IMGs) pilot projects, distilling critical insights and offering actionable recommendations for stakeholders to accelerate and scale the deployment of these solutions.
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit focused on clean energy future, in collaboration with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), carried out the report titled ”Partnerships for Power: Unlocking Scale for Interconnected Minigrids in Nigeria.”
A webinar offered tomorrow, May 14 at 2 PM WAT, will delve deeper into the report’s findings.
The report noted that, in Nigeria, 75% of the population — an estimated 150 million people — grapple with no or unreliable access to electricity.
The national grid meets a mere 20% of the country’s demand, forcing reliance on costly and polluting fossil fuel generators. Interconnected minigrids, which integrate distributed energy resources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and battery storage with existing grid infrastructure, offer a transformative solution by improving reliability, reducing costs, and expanding energy access.
By combining power from the main grid with locally generated renewable energy, IMGs enhance reliability at a lower cost than current fossil fuel alternatives (self-generation fuel cost at 600–650 NGN/kWh or US$0.40/kWh–US$0.43/kWh).
The new report highlights the successful deployment of the first four operational IMGs in Nigeria, which have added 3 megawatts of solar PV capacity and 3 megawatt-hours of battery storage, serving approximately 6,300 connections in urban and peri-urban areas across Nigeria.
”This report underscores the immense potential of IMGs to revolutionize energy access in Nigeria and provides a roadmap for scaling IMGs, ensuring faster, more cost-effective deployment to serve millions more Nigerians,” said Suleiman Babamanu, RMI’s Nigeria program director.
”The initial IMG projects demonstrate that through strong partnerships between developers and DisCos, we can deliver reliable and affordable electricity to communities while creating mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders,” Babamanu adds.
The report distills key lessons learned from these pioneering projects, presenting data-driven insights on project costs, timelines, construction, and operations.
It identifies key challenges hindering faster deployment and offers targeted recommendations focused on project preparation, cost optimization, grid infrastructure development, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacity building.
”IMGs offer a scalable win-win-win solution, empowering communities through collaboration between utilities and mini grid developers, while strengthening energy systems – a critical step toward the mission to power 300 million Africans by 2030,” said Muhammad Wakil, GEAPP’s country delivery lead for Nigeria.
”Through strategic partnerships and data-driven insights, we can unlock IMGs’ full potential to accelerate energy access that can drive growth and generate jobs for Nigeria and the continent. This initiative demonstrates the transformative power of collaboration – proof of what we can achieve when we unite behind a shared vision to create lasting impact.”
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