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The federal government has commissioned 200 solar powered homes in Abuja suburb as part of initiative to push rural electrification.

Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo while speaking during the commissioning of the scheme tagged ‘Beyond the Grid’ at Wuna Community in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT said the initiative is part of the plans of the President Muhammadu Buhari lead government to boost access to electricity in communities where the national grid is yet to reach.

He noted that Phase-1 of the project is focused on deploying the Solar Home System (SHS) to power 20,000 households within 12 months, adding that apart from providing electricity to communities that are not on the National grid, the initiative will create more jobs.

He said “We will put more pressure on Azuri Technologies to begin local assembly especially within the communities where they are installed.

The scheme being handled by Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and Azuri Technologies, a foreign firm with similar projects in other African countries will be expanded to other rural communities in phases.

In his remarks, the Managing Director/CEO of NDPHC, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo noted that Azuri was engaged in July 2016 to deliver about 2000 households in the Wuna project which was used as a pilot study of the 200,000 SHS to be deployed as 1st in the North. The target population for the initiative is about 70 million Nigerians.

“NDPHC has deployed 200 units of the SHS as pilot programme here in Wuna. The beneficiaries of the 20,000 units are among the already identified communities of the 19 Northern States. The units will be deployed within a period of 12 months.

Besides, there is ongoing auditing and re-activation of 1,073 solar powered boreholes of which two have been activated in Wuna community.

Responding, the Chief Executive Officer of Azuri, Mr. Simon Bransfield-Garth said it could power four bulbs, a radio set, and spaces to charge mobile phones for over eight hours.