GIS-Based Site Suitability Analysis for Wind Energy Development in Nigeria

Nigeria faces one of the most acute electricity access deficits on the African continent, with an estimated 85–90 million citizens lacking a reliable power supply. Despite a substantial, largely untapped wind energy resource, particularly across its northern states, wind power remains critically underutilised in the country's energy mix. A key constraint to deployment is the absence of data-driven, multi-variable site-selection frameworks capable of guiding investment decisions at scale.

This study addresses that gap by conducting a GIS-informed site suitability analysis for utility-scale wind energy development across Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Using wind speed (m/s) and mean power density (W/m²) at 100m hub height sourced from the Global Wind Atlas (GWA 4.0; DTU Wind & World Bank, 2025), a composite suitability index was constructed via min-max normalisation and equal-weight averaging of both variables.

Findings demonstrate a pronounced north-south gradient in wind resource availability. Plateau State achieved the highest composite index score (0.9985), followed by Gombe (0.9914) and Adamawa (0.9175). The North East and North West geopolitical regions consistently recorded the highest mean wind speeds and power densities. Five states exceeded the 7.0 m/s utility-scale viability threshold at 100m. By contrast, southern regions averaged below 5.0 m/s, positioning them as candidates for distributed solar-wind hybrid systems rather than utility-scale wind installations.

The composite indexing approach reveals important distinctions that wind speed alone obscures, demonstrating the value of integrating wind speed and power density in national-scale wind resource screening. These results provide actionable guidance for Nigeria's key MDAs and private renewable energy investors seeking to prioritise wind corridors for infrastructure development.