Nigeria, IRENA launch Nigeria’s renewable energy roadmap

BY KELECHUKWU IRUOMA

The federal government and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have launched the Renewable Energy Roadmap (Remap) Nigeria.

The report was released in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) hosted by Masdar, also known as the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company.

According to the government, the road map will help Nigeria to meet its energy demands as nearly 60 percent of the country’s energy demand in 2050 is projected to be provided with renewable energy sources.

The development will also enable Nigeria to save 40 percent in natural gas and 65 percent in oil needs at the same time.

With a growing population and a range of socioeconomic challenges, Nigeria requires sustainable energy sources to meet the growing needs of all sectors of its economy and achieve universal access to modern energy services.

Conducted in collaboration with the Energy Commission of Nigeria, the report highlighted the need for Nigeria to invest heavily in electrification, which it said, plays a significant role in achieving renewable energy share with the share of electricity in final energy use nearly doubling by 2050 by 27% from 2015 levels.

Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of science and technology, said Nigeria can solve its energy demand due to its endowment with abundant renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, hydro, and biomass that can be harnessed to scale up its energy supply and achieve universal energy access, energy security and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for climate change mitigation.

“The highly distributed institutional structure of the energy sector in Nigeria means that coordination of policies will be essential to unlocking integrated energy transition planning and ensuring its success,” the minister said.

“A cross-cutting agency or body tasked with doing so would help build consensus and develop a coherent plan which in turn would allow for the scaling up of renewable energy to meet the needs across the Nigerian energy sector.”

Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s director-general, said: “Nigeria can provide sustainable energy for all its citizens in a cost-effective manner. Nigeria has a unique opportunity to develop a sustainable energy system based on renewables that support socioeconomic recovery and development while addressing climate challenges and accomplishing energy security.”

“Accelerating the energy transition will require far-sighted choices, discipline and wise investments, backed by international co-operation and strong national planning in Nigeria

“IRENA is willing to collaborate to help make the vision presented in this report a reality.”

To achieve its demands, Nigeria must improve upon existing efforts to promote clean cooking and access to modern forms of energy.

The report also noted that Nigeria must quickly begin to adopt biofuels and electric vehicles (EVs) in addition to an increased role for public transportation, which will help to sustainably meet growing transportation demand.

Nigeria’s energy consumption is expected to increase due to a rising population and improvements in the socioeconomic life of the people.