Talasse gets 1MW solar minigrid after years without grid power

A 1-megawatt solar minigrid has been commissioned in Talasse, Gombe State, bringing electricity infrastructure to a community whose governor said it had gone more than 17 years without a connection to the national grid. The project, commissioned on October 17, includes a 2.4-megawatt-hour battery storage system. The Rural Electrification Agency said it serves 6,028 connections: 5,929 residential, 84 commercial and 15 for productive-use activities. The broader reach was described as about 6,000 households and businesses. The ceremony also marked the start of construction on four interconnected minigrids, with a combined planned capacity of 16MW, in Dukku, Bajoga, Kumo and Kaltungo. The Rural Electrification Agency announced the projects; no completion date was specified. Gombe Governor Muhammadu Yahaya said construction of the Talasse facility began in November 2025. He described the commissioning as part of efforts to expand electricity access in rural communities and said the lack of grid power had constrained local economic activity and led residents to rely on costly alternatives. Project representatives and officials presented the installation as a way to support activity...