Plans for BESS assembly plant in Nigeria

The two companies say their planned BESS assembly plant has the potential to transform Nigeria’s energy landscape. Nigeria’s rapidly increasing demand for battery storage systems is currently being met through imports from Europe and China. The West African oil-producing nation recently released an Energy Transition Plan that emphasizes the need for expansion of its generation capacity and the ramping up of renewables that has resulted in increasing demand for renewable energy solutions and complementary battery storage systems.

RIPLE is a US$500 million vertically integrated renewable energy investment platform launched in November 2023 by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). GIB (Gotion-InoBat-Batteries) is a joint venture between Gotion High Tech and InoBat based in Slovakia. The Chinese-European joint venture was launched at the end of 2023 to focus on the EMEA regions to offer localisation platforms to create eco-hubs and battery value chains to meet the demand for green energy from stationary BESS.

Benefit Nigeria’s economic growth and energy transition journey towards net zero

Steven Cai, Chairman, GIB EnergyX and Director, Gotion HighTech noted: “Gotion is the majority owner of GIB, with a top tier competitive position in BESS and EV battery technology and Giga factory manufacturing and localisation expertise. We are excited to explore this co-development with RIPLE to create the local assembly value-chain delivering a range of BESS with our LFP technology which should significantly benefit Nigeria’s economic growth and energy transition journey towards net zero through access to 24/7 renewable electricity.” 

In the establishment of a new assembly plant, the companies intend to use GIB’s advanced technology and expertise as well as RIPLE’s local knowledge and project execution capabilities. The project participants expect to catalyse the development of a localised battery BESS ecosystem in Nigeria.

When completed, for which neither a location nor start of production has yet been set, the plant will look to export to other regional markets. The European, Nigerian and Chinese partners hope to position Nigeria as a key player in the renewable energy supply chain and provide a vital source of foreign exchange.

Steven Cai extrapolated: “Nigeria is an exciting and fast-growing market hungry for electricity. RIPLE’s strategy is key in meeting Nigeria’s increasing energy demand and overcoming the inadequacy of the traditional energy networks and infrastructure through firm renewable energy solutions, complemented by energy storage. GIB will partner with RIPLE in the quest for the localisation of BESS assembly in Nigeria.”