Nigeria Rejects Single Pathway To Energy Transition

Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria, has rejected a single pathway concept to global energy transition and net-zero carbon.

According to the country’s Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, energy transition is a process; not an instant destination.

“Nigeria will continue to explore and invest in the development of hydrocarbon resources while pushing for the use of gas as a transition fuel,’’ Chief Timipre Sylva said as carried by online portal, vanguardngr.com.

He noted that for most African countries with a huge energy deficit, moving away from the deployment of hydrocarbon was a huge concern, stressing that developing countries were striving to attain a certain baseline of industrialisation.

He said while Nigeria acknowledges its commitments to net-zero as a nation, there is no gainsaying the fact that the country requires fossil fuel as its baseload energy source.

“This is undoubtedly a major concern for climate activists in developed nations, but the clamour to emphasise only renewable energy as the sole pathway to energy transition is a source of concern for African countries that are still working to achieve baseload industrialisation, address energy poverty and ensure reliable power supply.

“This is why in Nigeria, we reject the concept of a single pathway to the energy transition. Indeed, we prefer the concept of ‘just’ energy transition which takes into cognisance the specific circumstances of each nation in developing the energy transition pathway that best achieves the environmental, social, political and economic objectives of the transition in that specific nation.

“Multiple pathways to the energy transition should and must exist to ensure that no country is left behind in the process of achieving net-zero by 2050,” he added.

He explained that gas would be central to Nigeria’s plan for energy transition, adding: “First is the focus on gas. For us, this is at the heart of the energy transition and represents the first step in the journey to renewables, away from oil. Already, we have declared that gas is our transition fuel, and also represents a destination fuel as we envisage that it will be part of our energy mix by 2050, given the vast resources that can be commercialised and utilised.”

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com