After about 150 years of reportedly living without any form of electricity supply, Angwan Rina, a remote community in Plateau State, north central of Nigeria, would finally be connected to electricity but not from the grid.
Rather, it would get its first ever electricity supply from the sun that has shined on the roofs and heads of its inhabitants for the same 150 years it has lived without electricity, through a solar-powered mini-grid plant.
Being one of the two beneficiary communities of the state’s pilot off grid power project – the other being Demshin, Angwan Rina would in a matter of days begin to see its homes and village squares electrified by electricity from the sun.
Managing Director of indigenous solar power construction firm, GVE Ltd, Mr. Ifeanyi Orajaka, whose company is undertaking the mini grid solar project for the government of Plateau announced this on his twitter handle.
“While #Bisanti is all excited 2 receive their global guests come 8th Dec 2017, the people of #Angwan_Rina in @PLSGovt are even more excited as they’re getting ready to be #Electrified 4 the 1st time in +150yrs,” said Orajaka on his twitter handle @IfeanyiOrajaka.
OGN, however learnt that as Angwan Rina gets its homes connected to solar electricity, Demshin, which is a neighbouring village to it would also get connected simultaneously. Both communities are expected to be powered by two separate 50 kilowatts (kW) solar mini grid system.
Earlier in September, Plateau State governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, told an audience of power sector operators at the National Council on Power which his state hosted, that the state was taking a deep dive into off grid power projects to electrify its communities without power supplies.
Lalong explained that that two solar power mini grid plants were under construction by GVE Ltd in Demshin and Anguwa Rina villages.
He said then: “We are equally grateful to the European Union and the German Federation, which, through the Nigerian Energy Support Program (NESP) are working with Plateau State to build the first solar-powered mini-grid plant in Demshin and Anguwa Rina villages in Plateau. These two projects are scheduled for commissioning in November this year.”
