Nigeria breaks ground on Sub‑Saharan Africa’s largest 200 MW solar mini‑grid for industrial park

The federal and Niger State governments launched a 200 MW solar mini‑grid at Abuja Steel Mills in Niger State, handing over 500 hectares for what will be the largest renewable‑power installation of its kind in Sub‑Saharan Africa. The off‑grid system is designed to supply a new steel plant and other industrial facilities, reflecting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to promote clean, privately‑financed energy for industry.

Separately, Power Minister Joseph Tegbe commissioned a 505 kW interconnected solar mini‑grid in the Eredo community of Epe, Lagos State, under the Rural Electrification Agency’s Interconnected Mini‑Grid Acceleration Scheme. The project is part of a national drive that already has more than 1,000 mini‑grids under development and aims to add 5 MW of renewable capacity in the area to support agro‑processing, cold‑chain facilities and local markets. The initiative involves the federal government, the European Union, German development agencies and private developers, and includes plans to expand the Epe system to 1.5 MW and introduce electric tricycles to reduce transport costs.