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Malbaza

Solar power plant in Sokoto, Niger. Approximate location 13.97, 5.525.

SolarSokotoNigerAssumed PV

Malbaza is a 6 MW solar power plant in Sokoto, Niger. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.6k homes (estimated). It ranks #11 of 11 Niger power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 3.2% of Niger's electricity; the national grid averages 674 gCO₂/kWh (3.2% low-carbon) (2024).

6MW installed capacity
2,552homes powered (est.)
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0068276.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMalbaza WRI
CountryNiger · Sokoto WRI
Coordinates13.97, 5.525 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity6 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000827701; operating plant capacity
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyAssumed PV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#11 / 11 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,552 calculated
Climate28.6°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 44/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is a source-verified 2026 capacity claim: 6 MW for Malbaza solar project.

GEM · 2026 · operating plant capacity

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000827701; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Assumed PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

28.6°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,870cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
328 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 30 °CMA: 33 °CAM: 33 °CMJ: 31 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 30 °CON: 27 °CND: 24 °CD33 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 2.9% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
9.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
869 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

Niger has 1 solar power plant in this dataset, together about 6 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 13.97, 5.525 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Malbaza?

Malbaza is a 6 MW solar power plant in Sokoto, Niger, commissioned in 2018.

How many homes can Malbaza power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,552 homes (estimated).

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