ABUJA — Olam Agri and Husk Power have announced a groundbreaking commercial and industrial (C&I) solar project in Nigeria’s rice-producing region. This initiative will accelerate the transition of agriculture to sustainable energy infrastructure, significantly reducing reliance on expensive and polluting diesel generation.

Under the partnership, Husk will deploy a 1.3 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) system, integrated with an 860 kWh battery energy storage system (BESS), at Olam Agri’s rice operations in Rukubi, Nasarawa State. This shift to solar power not only represents a significant step in Olam Agri’s efforts to cut diesel consumption but also towards a more sustainable and cleaner energy future. Husk will supply power to Olam Agri under a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The solar-battery hybrid system will enhance voltage stability, ensuring a reliable power supply while delivering fuel cost savings and substantially reducing carbon emissions.

This latest initiative builds on Olam Agri’s broader commitment to integrating sustainable energy solutions across its operations in Nigeria and beyond. In 2024, the Olam Agri rice farm introduced a solar farm to power its mill operations, marking a milestone in its journey toward clean energy. Over the past two years, Olam Agri has further expanded its renewable energy efforts. Beyond solar, Olam Agri is implementing additional energy-saving initiatives, including improving energy efficiency across its factories, adopting cleaner-burning fuels, and optimizing production processes to minimize waste and emissions. These efforts align with Nigeria’s renewable energy goals and contribute to the global push for sustainable agricultural and food production.

Speaking on behalf of Olam Agri in Nigeria, Anil Nair, Country Head, emphasized the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, “Sustainability is at the heart of Olam Agri’s operations, and this partnership with Husk Power is a significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint while ensuring a stable and cost-effective energy supply. By transitioning to solar power, we are improving the efficiency of our rice production in Rukubi and contributing to Nigeria’s broader renewable energy goals. By implementing renewable energy solutions in Nigeria, Olam Agri is not just meeting its own needs but inspiring others to follow suit and help drive sustainability in the agricultural sector across Africa and beyond.”

Nigeria’s government policies and regulations further support the partnership. These policies encourage private-sector investment in renewable energy and promote solar adoption in industrial and agricultural sectors. These policies are crucial in enabling companies like Olam Agri to integrate clean energy solutions on a scale.

Olu Aruike, Husk’s Country Director, highlighted Husk’s leadership in the sector, “Besides being the market leader in Nigeria’s community solar mini-grid industry, Husk is committed to partnering with commercial & industrial (C&I) businesses to decarbonize key sectors of Nigeria’s economy, including agriculture. The partnership with Olam Agri aligns with the Husk’s broader goal of installing hundreds of MWs of C&I solar capacity in Nigeria and other regions of Sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years.”

Nigeria’s C&I solar market is rapidly expanding, with over 550MW of new solar capacity expected to be added between 2025 and 2029. This partnership underscores Husk’s mission to provide renewable energy solutions for businesses and industries, helping accelerate Nigeria’s transition from diesel to solar power.

By driving sustainability at scale, Husk and Olam Agri are setting a precedent for the adoption of clean energy in agriculture and industrial sectors—not just in Nigeria but across Africa and beyond.

About Olam Agri

Olam Agri is a market leading, differentiated food, feed and fibre agri-business with a global origination footprint, processing capabilities and deep understanding of market needs built over 34 years. With a strong presence in high-growth emerging markets and products across grains & oilseeds, freight, integrated feed & protein, rice, edible oils, specialty grains & seeds, sugar, cotton, wood products, rubber and risk management solutions, Olam Agri is at the heart of global food and agri-trade flows with 39.6 million MT in volume traded in 2023. Focused on transforming food, feed and fibre for a more sustainable future, it aims at creating value for customers, enable farming communities to prosper sustainably and strive for a food-secure future. Olam Agri Holdings Limited, which holds the Olam Agri business, is a 64.6% owned subsidiary of Olam Group. 35.4% of Olam Agri Holdings is owned by SALIC International Investment Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Olam Agri’s strategic partner The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Company. For more information and to subscribe to our news alerts, please visit https://www.olamagri.com/.

About Olam Group

Olam Group is a leading food and agri-business supplying food, ingredients, feed and fibre to 22,000 customers worldwide. Our value chain spans over 60 countries and includes farming, processing and distribution operations, as well as a global network of farmers. Through our purpose to ‘Re-imagine Global Agriculture and Food Systems’, Olam Group aims to address the many challenges involved in meeting the needs of a growing global population, while achieving positive impact for farming communities, our planet and all our stakeholders. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, Olam Group currently ranks among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in terms of market capitalisation on SGX-ST. Since June 2020, Olam Group has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a global sustainable investment index series developed by FTSE Russell, following a rigorous assessment of Olam’s supply chain activities, impact on the environment and governance transparency. More information on Olam can be found at www.olamgroup.com.

About Husk

Husk is an award-winning renewable energy services company (RESCO) operating in rural and peri-urban Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In 2024, Husk was named one of Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World, ranking #24 overall, and #1 in the energy category. In 2023, it was also named “World’s Best Challenger Brand” in the energy industry, and CEO Manoj Sinha was selected as a TIME 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business. Husk’s AI-powered energy platform provides 24/7 renewable power to residential and commercial customers, institutions and small factories. It also delivers a range of other products and services, including sales and credit-financing of branded appliances for home and commercial use, as well as community-based solutions for e-mobility and the agricultural value chain. Husk’s mission is to superchange economic growth and social well-being in rural communities that are unserved and underserved.