March 19, 2024 was significant in Nigeria’s energy sector especially in her efforts towards addressing challenges surrounding power supply, as it planned to use the sovereign fund, in building a 20 megawatts solar power plant.
According to Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s vice president, the 20 megawatts power plant, would be built in partnership with a local firm, the first phase of a 300 megawatts project.
However, Shettima did not disclose the cost of the project or when construction will start.
It is interesting to note that, Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million people, has installed a power generation capacity of 12,500 megawatts (MW), but produces a fraction of that, leaving millions of households and businesses reliant on petrol and diesel generators.
The vice president said on Tuesday in Abuja at the signing of the joint venture between the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and North-South Power (NSP) Company Ltd for the establishment of the Shiroro Generating Company, the country’s pioneer on-grid solar-hydro hybrid project.
In his words: “As a nation, our resolve is to take proactive steps to diversify our energy sources, reduce our carbon footprints, and ensure a more sustainable future for generations to come,”
He stressed that “The project will catalyze the realization of other hydro-solar projects and serve as a test case for deployment of solar energy onto the national grid.”
The Shiroro Generating Company is a hybrid project located in Shiroro, in Nigeria’s northwest of Niger state.
The 20-megawatt solar plant pilot project is embedded within a 300-megawatt solar program, to be co-located within NSP’s existing 600-megawatt Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Plant concession area in Shiroro, Niger State.
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