Kano to enhance power supply with solar-hydropower integration

Determined to address the acute energy deficit, Kano Hydro and Energy Development Company (KHEDCO) has mapped out a plan to introduce a sequential generation process through its mini-grid.

Additionally, the hydro company disclosed that the government will fully leverage the Electricity Act 2023 to establish a separate entity for the generation and distribution of alternative energy in the state.

KHEDCO Deputy Managing Director, Engr. Gaddafi Sani Shehu, hinted at the plan on Tuesday while responding to questions about the perennial problem of electricity at the state house of assembly.

Engr. Shehu, who spoke during his screening at the assembly for appointment as commissioner in the state cabinet, maintained that KHEDCO is presently generating and transmitting over 3.5 megawatts to off-takers from the Tiga Independent Hydropower Plant.

Shehu, a PhD holder and senior lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, revealed that with the sequential generation process, KHEDCO is creating a platform for solar transmission of energy while inter-switching with the hydropower system.

“We have secured qualified investors to invest in the sequential generation process to produce and transmit solar energy through the technology at the hydro plant. The strategy is to deploy solar converting systems between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and switch to the hydropower generating system between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” Engr. Shehu explained.

The commissioner-designate urged the state assembly to fast-track the process of domesticating the Electricity Act 2023, positing that until the relevant legal framework is enacted, KHEDCO may be hindered from fully liberalising the energy sector in Kano.

Shehu also appealed for the enactment of a law that would prohibit the construction of buildings on power lines and the enforcement of resolutions on right of way, which is currently preventing the construction of new transmission lines from Kaduna to Kano.

The commissioner-designate, however, advocated for a clear policy direction to protect investor interests in land acquisition, government guarantees for loan facilities, and government commitment to pay or take agreements on power generation to address the challenges of power deficits in Kano.

Shehu was among the seven nominees who were screened and subsequently confirmed for appointment as commissioners in the state executive council, which will be inaugurated on Wednesday.