(Ecofin Agency) - • Kaduna Electric signed an MoU for a 100 MW solar project with battery storage.
• The project will serve Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi states with decentralized power.
• Nigeria aims for universal electricity access and 50% renewables by 2030

To address Nigeria's energy deficit, Kaduna Electric is embarking on a 100 MW solar energy project with storage facilities, aligning with Nigeria's national objectives of universal electricity access and increased emphasis on renewable energy.

On Friday, May 23, 2025, Kaduna Electric announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with J-Marine Logistics Limited and its primary investor, ASI Engineering Limited, to develop a 100 MW solar project with a battery energy storage system (BESS). The project aims to boost electricity supply in the states of Kaduna (60 MW), Sokoto (20 MW), Zamfara, and Kebbi (10 MW each).

This partnership emerges in the context of a national electricity access crisis. Nigeria has the largest number of people in the world disconnected from the electricity grid, with over 86 million individuals, according to government data. The National Energy Pact, published under the World Bank's Mission300 initiative, sets ambitious goals to achieve universal access by 2030 and increase the share of renewable energies in the power mix from 22% to 50%.

Kaduna Electric's project is in line with this strategy for decentralization and diversification of energy sources. As generator groups alone provide an estimated power ten times higher than the national grid, regional solutions incorporating solar energy and storage are appearing as strategic alternatives. The Managing Director of Kaduna Electric, Umar Abubakar Hashidu, emphasized that this project could support the revival of industrial activities and local economic development.

In parallel, J-Marine Logistics announced it is considering the establishment of a solar panel production plant in Kaduna, with an annual projected capacity of 200 to 500 MW. Such infrastructure would structure a regional photovoltaic sector in service of energy autonomy and the country's green industrialization.