FG Set to Integrate Solar, Wind Energy into National Grid, Begins Study on Battery Storage System

•NESI targets 10GW transmission capacity by 2026 

•AfDB: Despite 60% global best solar resources, Africa accounts for 2% of storage capacity

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is set to integrate renewables into the country’s national power grid, with the beginning of a feasibility study into the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS),  a technology which stores electricity in batteries for future use.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday at the inception workshop for BESS, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, said the event signalled Nigeria’s resolve to adopt innovative, climate-smart, and forward-looking energy solutions.

The feasibility study, he said, was not just a technical exercise, but a strategic step toward future-proofing the country’s power infrastructure.

Despite significant reforms, Adelabu who was represented by a top official of the ministry, Bem Ayangeaor, noted that  key challenges persist, particularly the issues of power intermittency, limited dispatchability of renewables, grid instability, and underutilised energy generation.

With the increasing penetration of solar and wind energy in the energy mix, Adelabu stated that Nigeria must now address the critical challenge of energy storage: storing electricity when generation exceeds demand and dispatching it when needed to maintain balance and reliability.

According to him, Battery Energy Storage Systems provide the most practical and scalable solution to this challenge; enhancing grid stability and flexibility; reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-based peaking plants; enabling deeper integration of renewables into both grid-connected and off-grid systems and improving power quality and system reliability, especially during voltage or frequency disturbances.

The minister stated that particularly important was the grid-forming capability of advanced battery storage systems, explaining that unlike traditional grid-following inverters, grid-forming BESS can establish voltage and frequency references, essentially acting as virtual generators.

“This makes them critical assets in maintaining grid frequency regulation, black start capabilities, and power system resilience during disturbances or partial outages. In other words, BESS does not only store energy, they actively support the grid, improving power quality and reducing the risk of blackouts,” he stated.

Among others, Adelabu said that the study will also assess how BESS can support ongoing reforms, particularly under the Electricity Act of 2023, which devolves electricity governance to sub-national levels and encourages decentralised energy development.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Abdulaziz, stated that for years, the organisation’s operational teams have contended with the challenges of frequency fluctuations, peak load pressures, and limitations in reactive power support.

These technical constraints affect every layer of the electricity value chain-from generation dispatch to the final delivery of power to homes and industries, Abdulaziz, who was represented by the Executive Director, Transmission Service Provider (TSP), Olugbenga Ajiboye, said.

“Battery Energy Storage Systems offer us a powerful means to address these persistent challenges. For example, they enable frequency regulation, reserve capacity, and voltage support-directly strengthening grid performance and unlocking more efficient use of our transmission assets. This is precisely why this feasibility study is both timely and so important.

“This workshop is an opportunity not only to understand the technical and commercial dimensions of BESS, but also to determine the institutional readiness, operational protocols, and capacity-building priorities that will underpin successful implementation.

“ From grid codes and safety standards to workforce training and asset management frameworks, we must ensure that our planning today is comprehensive and forward-looking,” he added.

Also speaking, Director General, African Development Bank (AfDB), Nigeria Country Department, Dr. Abdul Kamara, noted that Nigeria remains home to an estimated 90 million people still without access to electricity.

“Africa holds almost 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, yet accounts for only  2 per cent of global energy storage capacity. That gap presents a challenge but more importantly, an opportunity. Battery storage is central to unlocking the full potential of our renewable energy resources and delivering stable, reliable power across the continent,” he stated.

Represented by Chigoziri Egeruoh, the bank, he said, has committed a $1.2 million grant under the Africa Energy Transition Catalyst Programme to support the feasibility study, implemented through the TCN.

 “Battery storage is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. As Nigeria’s grid evolves, storage offers real solutions: frequency stabilisation, reserve capacity, and peak load management, among others. But as we all know, technology alone will not carry the day. Regulatory frameworks and investment environments must evolve in step to scale these innovations sustainably,” he added.

According to him, Nigeria is also a key country under the  flagship $20 billion Desert to Power Initiative, which aims to generate 10,000 Megawatt of solar across the Sahel and provide power to 250 million people.

In his presentation, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Shehu Aliyu, revealed that with an installed generation capacity of 13,000MW, Transmission Wheeling Capacity of 8,500MW as of 2024 and Highest Peak Attained of 5,800 MW as of March, the sector is targeting an increase in generation capacity of 15GW and  Transmission Capacity of 10GW by 2026.