The federal government, through the Ministry of Power, has disclosed plans to harness renewable energy, distributed generation, battery energy storage systems, and grid expansion to provide a reliable power supply to Nigeria’s health sector.
Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, who spoke at the National Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector in Abuja, said that the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is currently deploying solar hybrid mini-grids, standalone solar home systems, and other innovative solutions to electrify hundreds of healthcare centres across the country.
According to him, through the EEnergisingEducation Program of the REA, the government is deploying solar hybrid mini-grids to teaching hospitals across the country.
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“We will harness renewable energy, distributed generation, battery energy storage systems, and grid expansion to provide the reliable power backbone that the health sector desperately needs.
“Notably, we have commissioned a 12MW system at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and a 7MW system at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
“These deployments are not only providing reliable, clean power but also helping to properly segregate electricity supply for clinical activities from that of residential and commercial activities within the hospital environment. With accurate metering in place, this ensures that non-medical businesses do not hide under the hospital’s electricity allocation and make energy bills unaffordable,” he said.
According to the minister, the hybrid model further allows for an optimal mix of renewable energy and grid supply, thereby reducing costs while guaranteeing sustainable, uninterrupted electricity for critical medical operations.
He said that by blending renewable energy with grid supply, hospitals are shielded from the high costs and unreliability that come with depending solely on grid electricity and diesel generators, enabling them to achieve a more stable, predictable, and affordable energy expenditure.
These interventions, he said, have delivered measurable impact from vaccine storage facilities, which are now functional in remote communities, to maternal and child health services, which are improving in rural areas.
“Doctors and midwives can now conduct deliveries at night with reliable lighting and powered medical equipment, to cold storage for essential medicines, which is now possible even in off-grid locations, and emergency services are no longer constrained by darkness or unreliable power supply.
“These are not abstract achievements they represent real lives being saved, communities being empowered, and healthcare being brought closer to the people. The work of REA demonstrates that sustainable, renewable energy solutions are not just viable but scalable. What we have seen in these pilot projects must now be expanded nationwide,” he added.
He further stated that the ministry is further committed to working with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that no hospital, no primary healthcare centre, and no diagnostic laboratory is left in the dark.
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The minister who stressed the need to scale up electrification projects for healthcare facilities nationwide said that policy frameworks must be strengthened to make investment in health-sector electrification attractive and sustainable.
He stressed the need to expand financing structures that blend public funding with private capital and donor support. “Most importantly, we must institutionalise collaboration so that no facility, no community, and no Nigerian is left behind. This is not just about powering buildings. It is about powering hope, powering dignity, and powering the future of our nation,” he added.
