Stakeholders in the energy sector yesterday converged on Abuja to brainstorm on implementing the Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
On August 24, the Federal Government launched the ETP, which is designed to simultaneously tackle the challenges of energy poverty and climate change.
The stakeholders’ dialogue was organised by the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN).
REAN President, Ayo Ademilua, said the ETP identified key areas where there were currently high emissions in Nigeria, which include cooking with firewood and charcoal in rural areas and gas flaring.
“When you move into interior parts of the country, about 60% of the people there are still not doing clean cooking and are emitting carbon. We have over 120 million people in Nigeria not doing clean cooking, and they are emitting carbon,” said Ademilua.
The power sector represents the largest individual source of emissions, particularly because of generators and diesel. As we think about how to engage with the plan, as we think about identifying the opportunities to explore, we are trying to displace the use of diesel and generator sets to cleaner sources.
Mutanga Umar-Sadiq, representing the Office of the Vice President, said Nigeria is positioned as the first country to develop a detailed energy transition plan.
He revealed that about 65% of the country’s total in-house gas emissions were related to energy consumption and industrial processes.
According to him, power and clean cooking are the most actionable sub-sectors within energy consumption.
“The power sector represents the largest individual source of emissions, particularly because of generators and diesel,” Mr Umar-Sadiq explained. “As we think about how to engage with the plan, as we think about identifying the opportunities to explore, we are trying to displace the use of diesel and generator sets to cleaner sources.”
Umar-Sadiq also said that part of the Nigeria energy transition plan was identifying the pathways, hence in the short term achieving universal access to energy by 2030.
“And also in the longer term achieving net zero in 2060 and to do that, we think that we need to deploy solar capacity at an unprecedented scale, ‘’ he said.
The Country Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Jochen Luckscheiter, said if the plan is implemented, it will significantly contribute to tackling energy poverty in the country, and “help to put Nigeria on a pathway towards its ambition to reach net-zero by 2060.” (NAN)
