Crossboundary, Engie to Build $60m Mini Grids in Nigeria  

Raheem Akingbolu

CrossBoundary Energy Access Nigeria (CBEA) and ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria (ENGIE) have announced a project finance agreement to build a $60 million portfolio of mini-grids that will connect over 150,000 people to electricity in Nigeria.

“CBEA will provide the private capital for the transaction, and will invest the private capital alongside the Performance Based Grant (PBG) funded by the World Bank and administered by Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP).

“Under the agreement, CBEA will finance all of the development and construction activities, and will own the projects; while ENGIE developed a pipeline of mini-grids to build over the next four years.

“ENGIE will also provide long-term operations and maintain services for the mini-grids and ensure that the residential, commercial, and productive use customers receive clean, reliable electricity while delivering high-quality and customer-centric services.

“We’re excited to work in partnership with CrossBoundary Energy Access to finance this portfolio of mini-grids in Nigeria. This deal reflects our long-term commitment as a leading provider of energy access solutions in Africa. Most importantly, this agreement will connect marginalized rural populations in Nigeria with clean and affordable technologies and facilitate more economic opportunities in these hard-to-serve areas,” Gillian-Alexandre Huart, CEO, ENGIE Energy Access stated.

Country Director, ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, Bamkole Cardoso,  stated that the partnership is a huge step forward for ENGIE in its mission to not only impact lives through affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions but to also improve economic productivity in communities across Nigeria.