Energy Transition: Ex-Minister Urges Nigeria to Build More Hydropower, Solar Plants

•FG targets 90% clean grid energy by 2060 

•REEEA-A says renewables create cheaper, more resilient energy sources

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

A former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, has said that if Nigeria is serious about increasing the percentage of clean energy sources by 2060, it should ramp up the building of solar and hydropower plants nationwide.

Speaking at the 2024 International Conference of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Associations-Alliance (REEEA-A) in Abuja, Nnaji who is now the Chief Executive of Geometric Power Ltd., argued that although the key pathway to energy sufficiency for Nigeria at the moment is gas, renewables should also be a major part of the energy mix.

The conference which sought to serve as a scorecard for the energy transition plan and the way forward was themed: “Road to Net Zero: Actionable Initiatives for Success.”

The REEEA has been at the forefront of promoting sustainable energy practices and facilitating the transition towards a low-carbon future, with the aim of advancing the discourse on energy transition and showcasing the progress made thus far.

Nnaji maintained that there was the need for a well-articulated programme to meet set targets, but argued that for now, gas remains a viable transition fuel for Nigeria.

“However, for new energy, Nigeria should really concentrate on building hydro plants and solar plants,” the former power minister said, but added that   studies have shown that although these alternatives can work, they also need to be economically viable.

“And so, this is very, very close to what I would say that for now, hydro, solar are the key ones,” he stressed, explaining that if Nigeria must take advantage of the electric vehicle rush, the recharging infrastructure must be built and should be available at the recharging stations.

Also, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, in his remarks, stressed that Nigeria’s energy transition continues to be driven by the need to reduce energy related carbon dioxide emission towards mitigating the effect of climate change.

 Adelabu, who was represented by the Director of Renewable and Rural Power, Sunday Owolabi, said that under the Climate Change Commitment, Nigeria seeks to reduce its Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) unconditionally by 20 per cent and conditionally by 47 per cent in accordance with the Paris Agreement through its National Determined Contributions (NDC).

“Centralised power capacity is to increase to 200GW by year 2060 comprising  90 per cent renewable energy; decentralised power capacity to comprise of about 3GW of solar PV and approximately 12GW of Mini-grids/ Solar Home Systems,” he stated.

He listed some of the efforts by the federal government to include: the 30MW Gurara Hydropower, 40MW Dandinkowa Hydropower, 40MW Kashimbilla Hydropower, 700MW Zungeru Hydropower, and 3050MW Mambilla Hydropower projects, which he said had lingered for years before this administration.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the board of REEEA-A, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, stated that Nigeria is well endowed with renewable energy resources and opportunities for tapping into them for the benefit of Nigerians are great.

“For solar energy, using the commonly available 300 Wp solar panels with about 15 per cent efficiency over 1 per cent of the land area of Nigeria with an average six hours of sunshine and an average irradiation of 500 Watts per square metre can produce the following power output: 551,000 MW at 100 per cent capacity factor; 275,500 MW at 50 per cent Capacity Factor and  37,750MW at 25 per cent capacity factor,” he stated.

Taking the electricity supply situation of the country, the current efforts of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), he said, were quite noteworthy and commendable.

“However, power supply of about 5,000 MW for the current population of about 230 million comes to an average annual electricity consumption per capita of 190 kWh. The figure for sub- Saharan Africa is about 600 kWh while for the world it is about 3,000 kWh.

“For Nigeria to be at the sub-Saharan Africa’s consumption the power supply should be at about 12,000 MW and for it to be at the world average annual electricity consumption per capita figure the nation’s power supply should be about 73,000 MW,” Adelabu stressed.

Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Renewable Energy, Hon. Afam Ogene, highlighted that one of the important objective of the Electricity Act 2023 was to provide a holistic integrated plan that recognises all sources for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, including the integration of renewable energy into our country’s energy mix.

“There is indeed a global quest for safer, sustainable, and renewable energy on account of global impact of carbon emissions from fossil fuels on our environment. The great effects of global warming and climate change are not only reserved as topics for big climate conferences around the world, but could alarmingly be felt all around us in our different environments in different forms,” he argued.

Chief Executive of the Association of Power Generation Companies of Nigeria (APGC) Dr Joy Ogaji, stressed that although the Electricity Act is full of potential, implementation is where the real problem is.

“It’s time to start asking questions, other than just swallowing everything that comes hook line and sinker and then drink water,” she said.

President of REEEA-A, Prof. Magnus Onuoha, earlier in his welcome address, said that seven associations formed the alliance and collectively shared the burden of using clean energy technologies to improve energy access and security in Nigeria and beyond.

“In the last five years, we have provided and will continue to provide, regulatory support and services to virtually all our clients and partners both in the public and private sectors; network and information exchange; infrastructure; welfare and corporate sustainability responsibilities; youth and gender empowerment; and research support services (data bank).

“All these are the core values we have used to execute our vision and mission statements,” Onuoha stated.