About 45% of Nigerians lack access to the national power grid. To address this, the government considers green hydrogen as a potential renewable energy source.
The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, spoke at a meeting about exploring the production of Green Hydrogen in Nigeria.
He explained that green hydrogen is created by splitting water molecules into Hydrogen and Oxygen using electricity from renewable sources.
According to Chief Nnaji, green hydrogen has vast potential for Nigeria. It can mitigate climate change effects caused by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Additionally, it can serve as a sustainable solution for alternative energy, industrial development, eco-friendly transport fuel, methanol, and fertilizer production.
He emphasized the global demand for hydrogen, projected to reach 700 million metric tons by 2050. Annual hydrogen production is expected to rise by 9.2% until 2030.
“Therefore, there is no better time for Nigeria to plug into this opportunity to avoid playing catch-up with the Western world. As a country, Nigeria must play a critical and leading role in the global energy transition.
“Nigeria enjoys abundant sunshine, with an average of 11 hours of sun daily. Hence, Nigeria has immense solar radiation potential to power electrolyzers for hydrogen production. This potential makes Nigeria a critical stakeholder in the world energy transition”.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo stressed that with a proven gas reserve of 208 trillion Cubic Feet (TCF), Nigeria would continue to harness its gas resources while remaining open to exploring opportunities in hydrogen.
Represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Nicholas Ella, Ekpo noted that “Nigeria, endowed with rich oil and gas resources, occupies a unique position to leverage its expertise and infrastructure in transitioning towards our hydrogen potential.
“This prospect for synergy between conventional and sustainable energy is vast, and we must seize this opportunity to diversify our energy portfolio”.
