REA: Mini-Grids, Solar Infrastructure to Power Industrial Clusters, Boost Manufacturing Competitiveness

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has said that it is designing programmes, smarter power system that would scale up mini-grids and solar infrastructure to power industrial production with cleaner energy and boost manufacturing competitiveness.

This, it said, means focusing on energy for industrial clusters, markets, agricultural processing zones, technology hubs, ports, logistics corridors and commercial centres.

The Managing Directoir/Chief Executive Officer of REA, Mr. Abba Aliyu, said in his address titled, “Scaling Mini-Grids and Solar Infrastructure for Industrial Production,” which he delivered at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) “Renewable Energy Outlook Conference 2026.”

The theme of the conference was, “Powering Nigeria’s Energy Transition: Policy, Investment and Industrial-Scale Deployment.”

Aliyu said: “The world is entering an age where electricity is no longer just a social service but the operating system of modern economies. The opportunity is even clearer: if Nigeria gets this transition right, we can use renewable energy not only to expand access, but to power industry, support manufacturing, create jobs, strengthen exports and position ourselves as a regional clean energy hub. This is the lens through which I want to approach today’s topic: scaling mini-grids and solar infrastructure for industrial production.”

Aliyu also said that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Mini-Grid Regulations 2026 has expanded the space for commercially viable distributed energy projects, with isolated mini-grids of up to 5MW and interconnected mini-grids of up to 10MW.