President Buhari commissions 10MW Nigeria’s largest grid-connected solar plant in Kano
Oredola Adeola
President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned over N5bn worth, Haske Solar 10MegaWatts (MW) solar power plant in Kano State – the largest grid-connected solar plant, in Nigeria- built to supply power to both Challawa water facility and streetlights in Kano metropolis.
The facility was commissioned by President Buhari during his working visit to Kano State between Monday, January 30 and Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
EnergyDay gathered that the Federal Government through Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority owned about 80 percent of the facility.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement obtained by EnergyDay, revealed that on January 4, 2019, President Buhari directed the Federal Ministry of Finance and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to transfer the approved sum of N4.71 billion from the Development of Natural Resources Development Account to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.
The N4.71bn therefore served as the FG’s 80% contribution to the execution of the solar project, while the NSIA is expected to serve as the manager through the Haske Solar plant Ltd, being a demonstration pilot project.
The Kano State government owns 15 percent share of the project with the provision of the 24-hectare parcel of land, valued at N322 million at market value, now serving as the Challawa industrial estate, the city’s second but largest industrial layout, to help spur industrial production, while the Kumbotso Local Govt owns 5% share of the entire power project.
EnergyDay gathered that the power generated from the solar plant will be directly supplied to the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
President Buhari while commissioning the project expressed satisfaction with the quality of job done by the contractors.
According to the Presidency, the solar project is projected to motivate other companies that will be operating with the Challawa industrial estate to invest in the additional capacity of the plant for full capacity utilisation.
Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), while speaking on the project disclosed that the 10 megawatts Challawa solar power project in Kano State will catalyse growth in the power sector, adding that the project would attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the state.
He said, “The project builds Nigeria’s credentials in the fight against climate change and our commitment to attaining net zero carbon emission by 2060.
According to Umar-Sadiq the project will in addition to providing access to clean, affordable and sustainable energy to local industries and other consumers, it would also increase industrial output by ensuring that companies within the industrial layout reach full capacity utilisation.
He said, “This project will truly be transformative to the Challawa Industrial Area in Kano metropolis. We have had extensive discussions in the course of developing this project and what was clear from speaking to the factories, the manufacturing plants and the facility in that industrial cluster is that it will enhance production efficiency, reduce production costs and, in time, begin to attract FDI into that cluster.”
The NSIA boss confirmed that the project from conception to take-off provided about 2,000 direct and indirect jobs to the immediate community.
EnergyDay further checks showed that the solar project has more than 21,000 solar PV panels, two 6MVA transformers and 52 inverters, warehouse, control room, office and workshop among others.
It was built by a consortium of Eauxwell Nigeria Limited, an indigenous local contractor, and their international partners – Greencells Energy Middle East and Africa Limited – on a turnkey basis.
