FG ends 17-year blackout in Gombe communities

The Federal Government has ended a 17-year electricity blackout in Tallasse, Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State, with the commissioning of a one-megawatt solar mini-grid project executed through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

The project, commissioned on Saturday, features a 2.4-megawatt-hour battery storage system and was delivered in partnership with the Gombe State Government and a private developer.

The commissioning also marked the flag-off of a 16-megawatt network of four interconnected solar mini-grids across Dukku, Bajoga, Kumo and Kaltungo communities, aimed at providing reliable electricity to homes, farms, markets and small businesses across the state.

The Tallasse project already serves 6,028 connections and includes electricity-powered groundnut oil processing, rice milling and flour grinding facilities, as well as electric tricycles to support economic activities.

Speaking at the commissioning, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the projects represented a practical expression of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that renewable energy initiatives were being deployed across the country, including Adamawa, Lagos, Oyo, Plateau, Kano, Kwara and Gombe states.

Tegbe said the commissioning marked a new chapter for Tallasse residents, who had endured 17 years without electricity.

“The true significance of these investments will be measured in the daily lives they improve: the farmer who can process produce closer to home, the trader who can preserve perishable goods, the artisan who can power equipment, and the young person who can build a livelihood within the community,” he said.

He added that the projects, as they become operational, could strengthen public services, reduce dependence on expensive self-generation and attract businesses to the communities.

The minister said his ministry would continue to work with the Gombe State Government, developers and host communities to ensure that the infrastructure translated into reliable electricity, productive economic activities and sustainable local prosperity.

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, described the projects as the outcome of collaboration between the state government and the Federal Government through the REA.

He said that in an agricultural community such as Balanga, which had gone 17 years without electricity, combining reliable power with rice milling, groundnut processing, flour production and electric mobility would strengthen the entire local economy beyond household lighting.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the REA, Abba Aliyu, said the agency was shifting its focus from counting electricity connections and installed megawatts to measuring the economic impact of its projects.

Aliyu said access to electricity without reliability limited its benefits, explaining that the projects incorporated battery storage, intelligent monitoring, productive-use equipment and sustainable operating models.

According to him, the approach is designed to establish functional electricity ecosystems rather than merely install power plants.

The projects are being delivered under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up programme, as the Federal Government pursues multiple approaches to improving electricity supply.

The strategy includes strengthening the national grid while accelerating mini-grids, embedded generation, solar home systems and dedicated power solutions for universities, markets and agricultural clusters.