FG rolls out solar hybrid mini-grids to power healthcare centres nationwide

From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja

The federal government has stepped up efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system by deploying solar hybrid mini-grids, standalone solar home systems and other innovative energy solutions to electrify hundreds of health facilities across the country.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with state commissioners for energy on electricity development at the sub-national level.

He noted that the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has already made significant progress in this regard, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, “The REA deployed 50kW solar mini-grid solutions to about 100 healthcare facilities across the country during the COVID-19 crisis. This ensured uninterrupted power supply to critical health centres to preserve lives, support medical staff, and sustain essential services at a time of unprecedented national emergency.”

Adelabu further highlighted ongoing interventions through the Energising Education Programme of the REA, which extends reliable power to teaching hospitals nationwide. “We have commissioned a 12MW system at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and a 7MW system at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. These deployments are not only providing reliable, clean power but also helping to properly segregate electricity supply for clinical activities from residential and commercial activities within the hospital environment,” he said.

The minister explained that with accurate metering in place, hospitals can now manage energy consumption more efficiently. “This ensures that non-medical businesses do not hide under the hospital’s electricity allocation and make energy bills unaffordable. The hybrid model further allows for an optimal mix of renewable energy and grid supply, thereby reducing costs while guaranteeing sustainable, uninterrupted electricity for critical medical operations.” He stressed that blending renewable energy with grid supply shields hospitals from the high costs and unreliability of relying solely on diesel generators or unstable grid power. This, he said, allows healthcare institutions to maintain predictable and affordable energy expenditures.

The interventions, according to Adelabu, are already delivering measurable results. Vaccine storage facilities in remote communities are now functional, maternal and child health services in rural areas have improved as doctors and midwives can perform safe deliveries at night, while cold storage for medicines and the operation of emergency services have become more reliable, even in off-grid locations.

Underscoring the broader vision, Adelabu said: “What we have seen in these pilot projects must now be expanded nationwide. The Federal Ministry of Power, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is committed to working with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that no hospital, no primary healthcare centre, and no diagnostic laboratory is left in the dark. We will harness renewable energy, distributed generation, battery energy storage systems, and grid expansion to provide the reliable power backbone that the health sector desperately needs.”