Nigerian solar sector gains momentum

Companies are starting to invest in decentralised power projects as surging diesel prices drive demand for renewables in one of Africa’s least electrified countries

Nigeria’s underperforming renewables sector has seen a renewed burst of international investor interest in recent weeks. Oil major Shell, the historic mainstay of Nigeria’s oil production, has made its first move into African renewables with the acquisition of Lagos-based offgrid solar generator Daystar, which has an installed capacity of 32MW. Separately, US-based offgrid solutions provider Sun Africa and Indian engineering, procurement and construction company Sterling and Wilson have signed a memorandum of understanding with the government to develop 961MW of solar PV with 455MWh of battery storage at five unnamed locations. The US firm said in August that it had mobilised $1.5bn in fundi