Nigeria’s Federal Government has announced a target to achieve a 30% renewable energy mix from 30GW by 2030, as part of its Energy Transition Plan (ETP). Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed this at the “Powering Nigeria’s Energy Future” event in Lagos.
Adelabu detailed the government’s initiatives to boost renewable energy penetration and off-grid solutions.
One major project is the World Bank Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) $750 million facility. This project aims to increase electricity access for 2.5 million people through solar home systems and mini-grids for households, MSMEs, educational, and health facilities across Nigeria.
This follows the recently concluded $550 million Nigeria Electrification Plan, which has already provided electricity to over 1.1 million households and facilities in underserved rural areas.
The minister emphasized the importance of renewable energy for both environmental and economic reasons, highlighting Nigeria’s abundant renewable resources.
He stated, “We believe that the global shift towards renewable energy is not just an environmental necessity but an economic one. Nigeria is blessed with abundant renewable resources, and we aim to continue tapping into these renewable sources to diversify our energy mix, reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure energy security.”
Adelabu also addressed the challenges faced in sustainable energy development, including unreliable gas supply, inadequate generation capacity, aging transmission networks, and inefficient distribution systems.
He noted that the journey to developing sector infrastructure has been difficult but emphasized the government’s commitment to overcoming these issues.
To resolve power sector infrastructure challenges, the government has initiated several strategic projects.
These include enhancing current generating assets, investing in new power plants, and expanding the transmission grid. Notable achievements include the commissioning of the 700MW Zungeru hydropower plant and securing presidential approval to address debts to gas companies, which ensures efficient gas supply to the power sector.
Adelabu outlined the government’s commitment to upgrading transmission and distribution networks through the Presidential Power Initiative. This initiative aims to expand the transmission grid and modernize distribution networks to reduce losses and improve power quality. An additional 463MW transmission evacuation capacity has been added to the grid in the past year as part of these efforts.
