Mini grid regulation to cut electricity cost in rural areas – NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said the Mini Grid Regulation it rolled out in 2017 is meant to cut down the cost for supplying electricity in rural areas and to accelerate rural electrification projects.

The Assistant General Manager (AGM), Renewable Energy and Rural Electrification at NERC, Dr. Abdullahi Yusuf, said this at the May Nextier Power Dialogue in Abuja.

He said rather than the complex process involved in licensing power Generation Companies (GenCos), NERC scaled down the investments requirements to reduce the tariff mini grid operators may place on electricity for rural areas.

After the Mini Grid Regulation was introduced, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in 2017 hosted the Mini Grid conference in Abuja where it announced the Rural Electrification Fund (REF), about N311 billion in grant for projects of private investors to ensure 60 per cent of Nigerians are connected to electricity by year 2020.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC), Rahul Singh, said his firm has keyed into the regulation and has done smaller grids of renewable energy in Katsina and Kano to boost power supply.

The Chief Executive Officer of Green Village Electricity (GVE) Projects, Ifeanyi Orajaka, said with support from the Bank of Industry (BOI) and Deloitte Consultancy, his firm has conducted Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for over 300 off grid communities and has invested about $5 million private capital so far.