REA pushes for community’s ownership of mini-grids

By Ihesiulo Grace

10 October 2017

Energy

….enlists 99 co-operatives
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA), an agency of the Federal Government tasked with connecting rural areas to electricity supplies, has initiated a new drive that could strengthen the capacity of rural communities to own and operate power supply systems in their localities.

Christened the Rural Electricity Users’ Cooperative Society (REUCS), the REA said it intends to use the new initiative to get rural communities across the country to partner with private firms to build and operate new power systems, mostly mini grids.

Already, the agency said it has registered 99 community cooperative societies comprising 22 in the northeast, 32 in the northwest, nine in the north central, 10 in the southwest, 11 in the southeast, and 15 in the south-south, to participate in this initiative.