NNPC Plans Charging Ports for Electric Vehicles in Filling Stations Nationwide

•Partners Maiduguri start-up to expand access nationwide

•Says energy complementarity, not transition needed in Nigeria

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) will begin the installation of electric vehicles charging ports in its filling stations nationwide to boost Nigeria’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Managing Director, NNPC New Energy Limited, Mr. Kanayochukwu Odoe, who disclosed this in the company’s quarterly publication released yesterday, explained that the energy firm was also working with a start-up in Maiduguri, Borno, state to expand the manufacture of electric cars in the country.

 Odoe noted that if Nigeria would to be able to compete with its  peers globally, it would need to invest in human capacity, technological capacity development and expansion in order to  achieve the net zero carbon target set for 2060 by the federal government.

Pointing out that the use and deployment of electric vehicles have come to stay, the NNPC unit managing director explained that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has now placed the NNPC with some certain responsibilities.

 One of them, he said, was to invest in renewable energies and to make renewable energy a business that would attend to  demands here in Nigeria and those with respect to some of the treaties and conventions the country has signed globally.

Also, on capacity expansion with respect to renewable energy, Odoe admitted that there was an existing gap in the power sector with regards to electricity supply, particularly in the rural areas.

He noted that Nigeria must be able to meet the demand by developing capacity to provide power to those in the rural areas with renewable energy sources like solar.

“On electric vehicles, there are two things we are looking at. There is a start-up from Maiduguri that is into renewables and electric vehicles. It’s a Nigerian start-up. We are currently discussing with them to expand their capacity to meet local demand in Nigeria.

“ It’s something I believe we should invest in not just because it’s our own, but also because they are doing something that hasn’t been done  before, at least, in this part of the world. So, when we invest in the company, we can have a foothold in the electric vehicles market.

 “The next part will be how to provide access to charging ports for the electric vehicles. We have NNPC Retail stations scattered around Nigeria, we are currently having a discussion on how to install charging points in the stations to serve electric vehicles. These are some of the things we are doing in that area,” the NNPC renewables chief added.

He maintained that although still at its teething stages, there is a potentially vibrant renewable energy market in Nigeria, which must be assessed from two angles- the market angle and the policy angle.

“The policy aspect  has more to do with the environment. Now, with respect to the business aspect and meeting the energy needs of the people, we are doing things differently.

“One of the things we are looking at is to embark on solar projects to supply power to the masses. We are looking particularly at disadvantaged areas where the services of the electricity distribution companies are not present.

 “We want to bridge that gap. Now, when we supply solar power to those disadvantaged areas, we will charge electricity bills. That’s something different that we are bringing on board that which hasn’t been done before.

“On the second aspect of policy, we are now charting a proper course to streamline ways to meet our global obligations as stipulated in the treaties  and conventions that the government has committed to,” Odoe stated.

He added that the NNPC is also currently working on a bio-diesel plant in Cross River State and has signed an agreement with Kebbi State for a bio-ethanol plant.

In addition, the NNEL chief stated that there were also talks to transform waste into energy that can be used for electricity and cooking fuel and reduce the felling of trees while reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

According to him, the debate as to whether to jettison fossil fuel was not so much of transition energy, but rather energy complementarity.

“All the energy forms should actually work side by side, one should not suffer death because the other needs to be born.

“So, what will happen if you marry fossil fuels and renewable energy is that, suppose in Nigeria we have 50 million vehicles emitting 50 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, over time with the introduction of renewable energy side by side fossil fuels, we will get to a point where we have 20 million cars running on fossil fuel and a blend of bio-fuel thereby reducing the volume of carbon emitted.

“The other 30 million cars will be electric vehicles. This will automatically reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It will also improve the quality of life through a reduction in the negative impact of pollution on the health of the citizens.

“Rather than talking about transition fuel, we should be talking about complimentary energy and that’s where renewable energy will come in,” he stated.