Nigeria is getting ready for a monumental project. Finger-pointed for its dependence on fossil fuels, Africa’s largest economy is aiming to pursue its national electrification policy by increasing the share of renewable energy in its energy mix.
The Nigerian federal government is studying the implementation of a 1 GWp (1,000 MWp) solar photovoltaic park in Gwiwa, Jigawa State, in the north of the country. Covering an area of 1,957 hectares north of the town of Gwiwa, the plant will generate electricity that will be sold exclusively to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), Nigeria’s electricity manager and administrator. The construction of this pharaonic park will be carried out in several cycles, the first of which foresees the construction of 200 MWp.
When completed, the solar park should be one of the most powerful in the world. At an estimated cost of $695 million, it will provide 170 million Nigerians with access to electricity, mainly in rural areas in the north of the country where electrification rates are at their lowest. At the same time, part of the electricity produced could be sold to Benin and Niger.
In addition, this project will bring many environmental benefits. It should reduce carbon dioxide emissions estimated at 900 metric tons of CO2 emissions per day. The populations will also benefit from this solar park. The electricity generated will provide rural women in Jigawa State with access to clean and affordable energy, thereby facilitating access to fuel for cooking or heating.
Technical studies for the project have already begun. The solar park project is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and has the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). One can recall that on May 9th, 2018, the Board of Directors of the AfDB approved a grant of $ 1.5 million for the conduct of a detailed feasibility study of the project, the design of a master plan and the procurement of services, advice, transaction and the development of public tenders.
Nigeria to increase electrification rate with renewables
Nigeria aims to increase its electrification rate as well as the share of renewable energy in its energy mix in order to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. In March 2017, the Federal Government approved the Nigeria Power Sector Recovery Plan (2017-2021), which aims to improve access to electricity for the Nigerian population by allowing the private sector to invest in renewable energy. This is a seminal act, which is the origin of the solar park project.
The African Development Bank highlighted this project as early as April 2018 with the publication of the Solar Independent Power Producer Selection Program for Jigawa – Phase 1. A piece of information taken up last May when a study by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Sector Study: Solar Renewable Energy in Nigeria” was published.
This study highlights the current status of this huge project and reveals that Nigeria is preparing to host a 500 MWp solar photovoltaic plant. Mainstream Energy – operator of the Kainji and Jebba hydropower plants – would like to benefit from a solar power plant to complete the power of its hydropower plants. This will be done in partnership with Engie, the French electricity company, but no additional information is available. But one can be sure that Nigeria will be among the top leaders in the development of solar energy in Africa.
