The federal government has announced plans to award subsidies to mini-grid developers for the deployment of solar power mini-grids to 150 underserved and unserved electricity sites across seven states.

The government announced this in a statement issued by the Rural Electrification Agency.

It noted the deployment of the mini-grids would be driven by the private sector.

It said the Project Management Unit of the Rural Electrification Agency, under its Nigeria Electrification Project, just concluded a hybrid pre-bid conference for the Minimum Subsidy Tender programme of the solar hybrid mini-grid component.

The solar hybrid mini-grid component is financed by the African Development Bank.

The Minimum Subsidy Tender programme is a key component of the NEP, aimed at catalysing the Nigerian off-grid market, while aiding the deployment of solar hybrid mini-grids at scale.

The solar hybrid mini-grid component of the NEP supports the development of private sector mini-grids in unserved and underserved areas that have high economic growth potential.