REA Boosts Healthcare Sector with Clean Energy Solutions for 100 Health Centres Nationwide
Improving access to electricity within the healthcare sector is a strategic priority for the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). In pursuit of this objective, the REA has successfully deployed 100 Containerized Solar Hybrid Systems (50kW each) across 100 healthcare centers in Nigeria. This landmark achievement is part of the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), aimed at providing clean, sustainable energy solutions to healthcare facilities.
The initiative's primary objectives include:
• Ensuring healthcare facilities have access to clean and sustainable energy to power essential equipment and critical loads
• Providing a steady water supply through solar water pump systems
• Implementing modular designs for rapid deployment in emergency situations
• Retrofitting electrical appliances with energy-efficient alternatives to minimize power consumption
Under the first phase of the initiative, 100 health facilities have been equipped with containerized solar hybrid systems, while the second phase will focus on deploying similar systems to 400 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs). This significant milestone highlights the REA’s commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure and supporting Nigeria's response to bridging the electricity gap in the health sector.
"We are thrilled to have reached this crucial milestone in our mission to energize healthcare facilities across Nigeria," said Mr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, Ag. Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency. "We understand that reliable and sustainable energy access is a key enabler for the delivery of quality healthcare services, and we are grateful to our partners at the World Bank for their unwavering support in this endeavor."
The containerized solar hybrid systems provide a clean, efficient, and reliable source of power to the beneficiary healthcare centers, enabling them to offer uninterrupted medical services to patients. Each deployed system boasts a 50kW capacity, providing these healthcare facilities with sufficient energy to power critical loads, including ventilators, refrigerators for storing vaccines, medications and other cold chain medications, as well as lighting systems.
This intervention has greatly improved emergency healthcare service delivery, enabling medical professionals to optimize in-patient medical care. The interventions have equally aided carbon emission reduction, decommissioning diesel-powered generating sets in most of the facilities thereby saving costs on facility management.
Speaking on the landmark achievement, Mr. Femi Akinyelure, Head, Project Management Unit of the Nigeria Electrification Project expressed his delight on the completion of the project, stating that "the deployment of these 100 solar hybrid systems marks a significant step towards achieving universal energy access in Nigeria. We are committed to ensuring that healthcare facilities in the six geo-political zones benefit from access to clean and reliable power for a more sustainable Nigeria."
As part of this milestone, the REA will conduct the official handover of these containerized solar hybrid systems to each of the 100 beneficiary hospitals. This achievement demonstrates the REA's commitment to improving energy access in not just underserved and unserved communities but also the health sector as well as other critical sectors in Nigeria.
