Wind Energy

Nigeria targets 200 MW wind energy by 2012

Apart from the Wind Energy Farm in Katsina which is expected to produce 10 megawatts on completion in 2012, additional wind power plants to be located in various parts of the country are expected to generate extra 180 megawatts for the country.

Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, disclosed this at a two-day national workshop on application of a digital tool for wind energy information system held in Abuja yesterday.

The minister, who was represented by the Director-General of Chemical Technology and Energy Research, Dr. Solomon Fadoju, said the government, through the Ministry of Power, is constructing 10 MW wind farm since 2009 at Katsina to end in 2012.

Other regions pre-selected as potential sites for further wind turbines development, Abubakar said, are: Lagos, Jos and Sokoto representing South-West, North-Central and North-West.

As a further step, the minister said that his ministry was of the view that the country should elaborate the feasibility studies for these three sites, defining a total wind park capacity of 30-60mw per site.

“In this regard, the federal Ministry of Power recently requested for bid offers to carry out feasibility studies at Sokoto and Kebbi states for wind farm development. That bid process is yet to be completed,” Abubakar explained.

However, the Director-General/CEO of Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Prof. Abubakar Sambo, explained that the workshop was organised with a view to popularise the wind energy information system software package.

By Samuel Ogidan, Abuja, www.compassnewspaper.com