Kaduna Electric Plans 100-MW Solar-Plus-Storage Parks Across Four Northern States

• Kaduna Electric signs MoU to deploy 100 MW of solar capacity and battery storage across Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi, cutting outages and boosting Nigeria’s energy transition.

Nigerian distribution company Kaduna Electric has inked a memorandum of understanding with engineering partners J-Marine Logistics and investor ASI Engineering to build a network of solar-plus-battery parks totalling 100 MW across its franchise area in the country’s north-west. The rollout will allocate 60 MW to Kaduna State, 20 MW to Sokoto, and 10 MW each to Zamfara and Kebbi, creating the utility’s first utility-scale generation assets and its largest ever clean-energy venture.

Each site will pair high-efficiency photovoltaic arrays with multi-hour battery energy-storage systems (BESS), enabling the plants to feed power into local feeders during evening peaks and keep critical services online through frequent grid interruptions. Kaduna Electric says the hybrid design will supply roughly 210 GWh a year and offset more than 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the projects’ 25-year lifespan.

Chairman Aminu Abubakar Suleiman called the initiative “a decisive leap from pure distribution into distributed generation,” adding that the consortium model lets the utility leverage external capital while retaining operational oversight. Under the terms, J-Marine will lead engineering, procurement and construction, while ASI Engineering arranges project finance; Kaduna Electric will hold a majority stake and purchase all electricity under long-term offtake agreements indexed to inflation.

The deal dovetails with Nigeria’s national push to achieve universal electricity access and lift renewables to 50 percent of generation by 2030. Northern states endure some of the country’s worst supply deficits, relying on diesel generators when the grid fails. By siting small-to-medium plants close to demand centres, Kaduna Electric expects to cut technical losses, lower tariff volatility and free scarce foreign exchange previously spent on imported fuel.

Pre-construction studies will run through early 2026, with the first 20 MW block scheduled to go live in Kaduna by late 2027. The remaining capacity is slated for completion in staggered phases through 2028, subject to timely regulatory approvals and grid-connection works by the Transmission Company of Nigeria. If all milestones are met, the model could be replicated by other distribution companies seeking to hedge against Nigeria’s chronic generation shortfall without burdening public finances.