• Empower opens 1MW solar-plus-storage plant for Nigerian rice mill

• Project cuts diesel use, stabilises power in outage-prone Kano

• Deal expands Empower New Energy’s industrial solar footprint in Nigeria

Norwegian firm Empower New Energy said on Tuesday, Jan. 27, it had officially opened a 1 megawatt-peak solar power plant with battery storage for the UMZA Rice and Oil Mill factory in Kano, northern Nigeria. The project was developed in partnership with Paras Energy and Huawei.

The installation combines 1 MWp of solar capacity with a 2.15 MWh battery system, supplying reliable electricity to an industrial site in a region where power outages and voltage fluctuations are common. Empower said the plant will lower the factory’s energy costs and help ensure more stable operations, which had previously relied heavily on diesel generators.

The project was delivered under a 10-year agreement between Empower New Energy and UMZA. The company said the plant was financed, built and brought online in less than a year after the contract was signed.

“We are very satisfied with the operation of the solar plant and the battery,” UMZA chairman Mohammed Abukabar said at the event. “We hope that this first-of-its-kind initiative will encourage many companies in Kano to switch to solar energy,” he added.

UMZA is a major player in the local economy, with a leading role in the industrial processing of rice and its byproducts. Before the plant was commissioned, the factory experienced several hours of outages each day and faced high costs linked to diesel use.

The project adds to Empower New Energy’s growing presence in Nigeria. In June 2024, the company commissioned a solar plant with storage for the Justrite Superstores chain, funded entirely from its own resources. The project reflects the gradual rollout of hybrid solar solutions aimed at industrial and commercial customers across the country.

Abdoullah Diop