For greater than 20 years, Nigeria has pursued renewable calories as a part of the method to its electrical energy disaster.
The Nigerian Electrical energy Regulatory Fee (NERC) reported that the common provide from grid-connected continual vegetation used to be about 5,400MW within the fourth quarter of 2025, whilst Global Financial institution data put the get admission to fee at 62.5 consistent with cent in 2024.
Government have attempted to increase continual era via photo voltaic and wind initiatives. Then again, the 10MW Lambar-Rimi wind farm challenge in Katsina State displays how tough it’s been for the rustic to show plans into functioning continual belongings.
Lambar-Rimi wind farm
The Katsina State Executive began the challenge in 2005. Since then, the ability has modified possession two times, the primary time in 2007 when it used to be taken over via the government.
After the takeover, the government awarded a freelance in 2010 to a French corporate, Vergnet S.A., to construct the wind farm inside of 24 months. The farm would have 37 generators, each and every to ship about 275 kilowatts of electrical energy. The contract integrated offshore elements valued at €18.5 million and onshore elements valued at N494 million.
Secure to mention the challenge didn’t pass consistent with plan.
The challenge encountered a number of setbacks in a state dealing with critical safety demanding situations. Following the abduction of a French commissioning engineer, the corporate received approval to switch elements of the paintings to a neighborhood contractor, Credco Nigeria Restricted.
The revised association increased the contract to €20.85 million offshore and N573.90 million onshore.
By way of 2016, a central authority budget implementation record mentioned the growth made within the challenge to incorporate the supply of 2 7.5MVA transformers, recovery of a vandalised 33kV line, of completion of basis paintings, set up of towers and generators, and development of medium-voltage rooms.
It stated remarkable works integrated the overhead line linking the wind farm to the 33kV community and an injection substation at Liyafa.
The 2017 govt finances implementation report later described the challenge as about 95 consistent with cent entire.
Then again, six years later, in 2023, Kano Electrical energy Distribution Corporate (KEDCO), the designated off-taker of continual from the wind farm, described the wind farm as handiest 80 consistent with cent entire.
In an editorial published on 31 August 2026, the Nigerian Wind Power Council (NWEC) stated years of inactiveness had left the Lambar-Rimi wind farm’s generators degraded and short of intensive rehabilitation.
New Twist
In April 2025, the Katsina State Executive requested to reacquire the ability. The government approved the switch, with the Minister of Energy, Adebayo Adelabu, explaining that it used to be consistent with the Electrical energy Act 2023 and the rising function of states within the electrical energy markets.
In September 2025, Katsina announced the reacquisition of the wind farm and its plans to hybridise it with a 10MW photo voltaic plant.
The state has since stated it used to be operating with Vergnet to evaluate the generators, electric methods, and grid infrastructure. The state govt expects the hybrid facility to return on circulate within the fourth quarter of 2026.
The twists and turns within the Lambar-Rimi wind farm tale exhibit how Nigeria has struggled to supply and distribute sufficient electrical energy for its 240 million other folks.
PREMIUM TIMES despatched a number of calls and messages to the Particular Adviser on Energy and Power to the Katsina State Governor, Abubakar Ibrahim, in quest of main points of the present standing of the ability, the price range dedicated and whether or not growth have been made against the deliberate commissioning. The officers didn’t reply to the inquiry.
PREMIUM TIMES additionally made a number of makes an attempt to succeed in officers on the Federal Ministry of Energy for explanation on why the challenge has no longer been finished in over 15 years.
The calls weren’t replied, and the ministry didn’t reply to the textual content messages both.
Lambar-Rimi no longer by myself
Many different huge renewable-energy initiatives in Nigeria have remained at other levels of advancement for years.
They come with the 100MW Maraban Pushit wind farm in Mangu Native Executive Space of Plateau State, promoted via JBS Wind Energy Restricted.
A Global Financial institution challenge document information that the corporate had secured a 45-year land rent, performed environmental have an effect on evaluate research and received provisional approval to evacuate electrical energy via a 132kV substation at Makeri in Plateau State.
The challenge appeared in regulatory information in October 2012, 14 years in the past, however has no longer advanced into an working utility-scale wind farm. Publicly to be had information reviewed for this record didn’t determine how a lot has been spent at the challenge or whether or not public price range have been dedicated.
Sun initiatives in Nigeria have a in a similar fashion combined monitor report.
The 50MW Onyi challenge in Kokona, Nasarawa State, related with Afrinergia Energy Restricted, gained a era licence in April 2016. International Power Track lists the challenge as cancelled, inferring cancellation befell in June 2024.
A 75 MW Kankia photo voltaic challenge in Katsina State used to be promoted via Pan Africa Sun Restricted, with JCM Capital indexed because the challenge proprietor. The Country newspaper reported in July 2016 that the corporate and the government had signed an influence buy settlement for the challenge, with a proposed funding of $146 million.
NERC information show that Pan Africa Sun gained a era licence in December 2014, which expired in December 2024. The regulator lists the challenge as non-operational, whilst International Power Track classifies it as cancelled, with cancellation inferred to have befell in February 2025.
Then again, regardless of the loss of luck in some renewable calories initiatives, others were effectively finished. A 10MW photo voltaic project in Kumbotso, Kano State, advanced via the Nigeria Sovereign Funding Authority (NSIA), used to be commissioned in 2023. This challenge displays that utility-scale renewable initiatives will also be delivered when financing, challenge control, evacuation infrastructure, and an identifiable marketplace align.
A challenge isn’t an ecosystem
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, NWEC’s Analysis and Operations Marketing consultant, Ojodomo Odiniya, famous that Nigeria lacks an ecosystem in a position to turning continual assets into bankable initiatives.
He recognized coverage and regulatory uncertainty, grid constraints, financing, insufficient wind-resource information, vulnerable institutional coordination, and land and group problems as primary limitations.
Buyers, he stated, desire a predictable pathway from useful resource evaluate and land acquisition via allowing, procurement, financing, continual buy agreements, grid connection and long-term operation.
Mr Odiniya prescribed a scientific advancement of the sphere. He stated this would additionally start with localising portions of the renewable-energy price chain as a substitute of seeking to manufacture a complete wind turbine right away.
He stated foundations, civil works, tower fabrication, electric set up, transportation, engineering, operations, and upkeep may supply access issues for Nigerian firms.
“The purpose isn’t to start with a completely Nigerian-made turbine. It’s to be sure that each and every challenge creates functions that can be utilized via the following challenge,” he stated.
The advisor additionally warned in opposition to growing era with out the transmission infrastructure required to evacuate it.
For long run wind initiatives, Mr Odiniya stated web site variety must believe no longer handiest wind energy but additionally grid get admission to, logistics, safety, land and lifelong working prices.
Egypt constructed formula round initiatives
North African financial powerhouse, Egypt, displays what occurs when initiatives are advanced along the establishments and infrastructure required to enhance them.
In written responses to questions from PREMIUM TIMES in September, Jauad El Kharraz, senior guide to the TERAMED Initiative and previous govt director of the Regional Centre for Renewable Power and Power Potency, stated Egypt’s enlargement adopted a series of institutional choices that decreased uncertainty for traders.
Egypt’s Electrical energy Legislation, Legislation No. 87 of 2015, supplied a framework for the rustic’s electrical energy marketplace and allowed better participation via non-public turbines.
Egypt had additionally introduced a separate Renewable Power Legislation, Legislation No. 203 of 2014, which established mechanisms for growing renewable-energy initiatives.
The rustic first used feed-in price lists to inspire non-public funding in renewable calories and broaden initiatives such because the Benban photo voltaic park.
It due to this fact moved against aggressive auctions and build-own-operate preparations because the marketplace matured. Egypt’s New and Renewable Power Authority (NREA) lists feed-in price lists, aggressive auctions, build-own-operate initiatives, and impartial continual manufacturer preparations a few of the mechanisms used to broaden renewable-energy initiatives.
That development mattered as a result of builders weren’t merely being requested to construct renewable vegetation. They have been being given a clearer framework for a way electrical energy could be bought and the way funding might be recovered.
The Benban enjoy illustrates the impact.
The Ecu Financial institution for Reconstruction and Building (EBRD) says it invested greater than $1.1 billion in 16 photovoltaic vegetation at Benban, with a blended capability of 750MW.
The vegetation have been related to Egypt’s nationwide electrical energy grid in 2019. The financial institution additionally supported Egypt’s transfer from feed-in price lists against aggressive renewable-energy auctions.
Mr El Kharraz stated Egypt additionally addressed one of the most infrastructure issues earlier than they may transform bottlenecks.
The New and Renewable Power Authority, he stated, helped make land to be had in resource-rich spaces, whilst the federal government invested closely in transmission.
Consistent with figures he supplied, Egypt’s 500-kilovolt transmission strains higher from 2,364 kilometres in 2014 to eight,250 kilometres via past due 2024, whilst substation capability higher to about 48,000 megavolt-amperes (MVA).
The lesson for Nigeria is {that a} renewable-energy challenge can’t be handled as an remoted producing asset. The land, transmission formula, continual buyer, financing construction, approvals and upkeep preparations should broaden round it.
Egypt’s type additionally relied closely on advancement finance.
EBRD financing helped determine the Benban pipeline, whilst the financial institution labored with Egyptian government at the design and implementation of aggressive renewable-energy tenders.
Mr El Kharraz stated Egypt used sovereign-backed preparations, standardised contracts, risk-sharing mechanisms and development-finance establishments to cut back the dangers non-public traders confronted.
He stated a few of these institutional rules might be tailored to Nigeria, together with standardised bankable continual buy agreements (PPAs), clean-energy corridors with ready land and grid connections, and extra coordinated allowing.
A Nigerian type
For Nigeria, the solution isn’t to replicate Egypt’s type wholesale.
Tobi Oluwatola, affiliate spouse at AP3 Advisory, famous that Egypt’s huge, centralised renewable-energy parks advanced inside of a special electricity-market construction. Nigeria, in contrast, has increasingly more depended on industrial and commercial initiatives, mini-grids, and different decentralised methods.
He stated Nigeria wishes contracts that give traders the boldness that electrical energy will probably be bought, that there are credible consumers in a position to paying for the ability, and transmission infrastructure and mechanisms for managing foreign-exchange and different dangers.
Mr Oluwatola stated Nigeria may adapt parts of the Egyptian enjoy, together with pre-permitted renewable-energy zones, standardised power-purchase preparations and local-content necessities tied to public procurement.
The typical lesson from each mavens is {that a} renewable-energy challenge can’t be handled as an remoted producing plant.
Land, financing, contracts, transmission, law, and the electrical energy marketplace must broaden round it.
The apparatus downside
Segun Ajayi-Kadir, director-general of the Producers Affiliation of Nigeria (MAN), informed PREMIUM TIMES that Nigerian firms can produce or compile some renewable-energy apparatus, together with photo voltaic panels, mounting constructions, cables and battery packs.
Then again, specialized applied sciences and a number of other essential inputs stay closely depending on imports.
Executive figures cited via officers put Nigeria’s photo voltaic era import invoice at greater than N400 billion in 2025 and greater than N200 billion within the first part of 2026.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir stated producers face top financing prices, foreign-exchange instability, dear and unreliable electrical energy, infrastructure gaps, talents shortages, and uncertainty over call for.
This creates a round downside.
Producers are reluctant to take a position closely with out predictable call for, whilst renewable-energy builders continuously flip to imported apparatus as a result of native providers can’t but supply enough scale, era, or aggressive pricing.
The federal government’s Dispensed Get entry to via Renewable Power Scale-up (DARES) programme may assist damage that cycle via growing predictable call for.
The programme objectives electrical energy get admission to for greater than 17.5 million Nigerians via 1000’s of connections and mini-grids.
Any other instance is the proposed Solarge Nigeria Restricted photo voltaic production facility, established via the Rural Electrification Company (REA), Infrastructure Company of Nigeria (InfraCorp) and Dutch corporate Solarge BV.
The proposed facility is designed to hyperlink production to a assured marketplace, with plans for local-content enlargement and procurement commitments.
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Mr Ajayi-Kadir stated localisation must however be slow.
Nigeria, he stated, can start with solar-module meeting, mounting constructions, cables, battery packs and different balance-of-system elements earlier than shifting into extra subtle applied sciences.
For wind, speedy alternatives are much more likely to lie in metal towers, foundations, electric set up, engineering and upkeep than in production entire generators.
DARES programme possible
The federal government’s Dispensed Get entry to via Renewable Power Scale-up (DARES) programme may assist damage that cycle via growing predictable call for.
The programme objectives electrical energy get admission to for greater than 17.5 million Nigerians via 1000’s of connections and mini-grids.
Any other instance is the proposed Solarge Nigeria Restricted photo voltaic production facility, established via the Rural Electrification Company (REA), Infrastructure Company of Nigeria (InfraCorp) and Dutch corporate Solarge BV.
The proposed facility is designed to hyperlink production to a assured marketplace, with plans for local-content enlargement and procurement commitments.
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