Environmental Sustainability in Nigeria’s Power Sector
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According to the IEA, the country’s energy mix reveals a heavy reliance on biofuels and waste, accounting for 74.5% of its total energy supply as of 2021. This is followed by oil at 14%, natural gas at 10.1%, and coal at 0.9%.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and oil producer, has a power problem. Recent estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that 140 million people lack access to energy, representing 71% of its total population.
However, the challenge goes beyond just closing this energy gap.
According to the IEA, the country’s energy mix reveals a heavy reliance on biofuels and waste, accounting for 74.5% of its total energy supply as of 2021. This is followed by oil at 14%, natural gas at 10.1%, and coal at 0.9%. This heavy dependence on non-renewable sources has led to substantial CO2 emissions, totaling 101 million tons in 2021. This represents 0.3% of global emissions and a 128% increase since 2000.
These figures confirm that the need to tap into renewable energy sources is but an urgent necessity.
Clean energy potential
Here’s the brighter side: Nigeria is endowed with plenty of resources that can be used to advance its energy transition and secure environmental sustainability in its power sector.
Solar energy, considered the most plentiful energy source on the planet, has high potential in tropical countries like Nigeria. Research shows that key cities like Kano, Onitsha, and Lagos have high levels of sunlight available for conversion to electricity: 6.08, 4.43, and 4.42 kWh/m² per day, respectively.
Wind energy also looks promising in Nigeria. In places like Enugu, Owerri, and Onitsha, wind speeds have been measured at 5.42, 3.36, and 3.59 meters per second, respectively. In particular, the wind speed in Enugu is high enough to generate electricity effectively, according to wind power standards.
Nigeria’s vast mineral resources, including lithium, are also worthy of attention. Lithium is crucial for clean energy technologies (think of lithium-ion batteries, which are beneficial for renewable energy storage). Nigeria boasts lithium ores in the Pan-African Basement Complex. Although mining is currently minimal, significant deposits have been found in Kwara, Ekiti, Ogun, Nasarawa, and Plateau states.
A comprehensive plan
During COP26, then-President Muhammadu Buhari announced Nigeria’s goal of achieving universal access to energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. With the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan as a guide, they are introducing various policies and programs to make clean and affordable energy available to all citizens.
For its power sector — one of the five major sectors tackled by the plan — Nigeria plans to transition away from diesel and petrol generators, which currently supply most of the country's power. Initially, the country will expand its gas generation capacity to meet the increasing demand for electricity and support the integration of renewable energy sources.
Additionally, Nigeria aims to ramp up the use of renewable energy to facilitate electrification and reduce carbon emissions in various sectors, including buildings, industry, and transportation.
In support of these efforts, several partnerships have also emerged. For instance, RMI and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) have recently revealed a plan showing that Nigeria could gain over 20 gigawatts of energy in the next 10 years by rapidly expanding renewable energy and battery systems. According to a press release, “The roadmap shows how to grow distribution company (DisCo) revenues, cut carbon by 33 million tons of CO2e per year, and help close the power supply gap.”
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