Nigeria Energy Future: The role of Hydrogen
Nigeria, one of the most populous countries in Africa, with about 60% of its population under the age of 35 years, needs rapid industrialization to provide jobs for its teeming youth population. Lack of stable electricity has plagued the country for several decades. This is one of the most profound impediments to its industrialization drive. […]
Nigeria, one of the most populous countries in Africa, with about 60% of its population under the age of 35 years, needs rapid industrialization to provide jobs for its teeming youth population. Lack of stable electricity has plagued the country for several decades. This is one of the most profound impediments to its industrialization drive.
According to experts, a staggering 85 million people, representing approximately 43% of the population, remain without access to the national grid. That’s close to half of the population cut off from domestic energy use, let alone industrialization. Although this problem seems insurmountable, its cause is not unknown, as it is linked to the country’s overreliance on fossil fuels, which not only cause air pollution and environmental degradation but also make the nation’s energy security susceptible to global energy price fluctuations. Price fluctuations, coupled with insufficient investment in energy infrastructure, lead to higher energy costs for the average Nigerian and impede the industrialization drive.
The Nigerian government and policymakers must look beyond the traditional sources of energy to provide a solution to the energy crisis, which has impeded the country’s industrialization drive, and explore the possibility of renewable energy, especially hydrogen energy.
Hydrogen is a clear and renewable form of energy that does not pose the environmental threat associated with fossil fuels. Worldwide, hydrogen has been explored as an alternative energy source. For instance, Germany, regarded as the hydrogen powerhouse of Europe, has a very ambitious hydrogen energy strategy. The industrial sector, including heavy industries such as steel and chemicals, is also keying to this government initiative. This illustrates the potential consequences of a government embarking on an ambitious project.
Nigeria can emulate other African countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Namibia, and Ethiopia, which, according to the African Energy Council, are the leading countries on the continent in clean hydrogen penetration. These are testaments to the revolution closer to home. Because of its potential, Nigerian policymakers need to venture into the sector and partner with the private sector and nongovernmental renewable energy advocates to develop a robust plan and infrastructure needed. If implemented properly, hydrogen can play a pivotal role in transforming Nigeria’s energy sector, enhancing energy security, driving economic growth, and positioning the country as a leader in clean energy in Africa.
Hydrogen can the produced from three sources. The production source determines if the produced hydrogen can be called renewable energy. The first source of hydrogen production is called grey hydrogen. Grey hydrogens are obtained from natural gas or coal, and the CO2 generated is released into the atmosphere. Another form of hydrogen is blue hydrogen. This is also gotten from a nonrenewable source, but the CO2 produced is captured instead of being released into the atmosphere. The last form, which is the purest form of hydrogen, is called green hydrogen and is obtained from water splitting using renewable energy sources like solar and wind. This method released zero emissions into the atmosphere. Due to the abundance of wind and solar sources of energy in Nigeria, they can be used as a source of electricity for water splitting to produce green energy with a net zero effect on the environment.
Despite this potential, there has been little coordinated effort from the policymakers to utilize this opportunity to provide an alternative form of energy from hydrogen and liberalize the country’s power sector, which will in turn accelerate the industrialization of the country. Notably, there was an energy transition plan that was launched in 2022, which acknowledged green hydrogen as a long-term energy opportunity for the nation, but that was all to it, as there were no explicit details of how this would be achieved. This absence of strategy, notwithstanding the potential of the nation for green hydrogen, has created a gap between ambition and actionable plans. This vacuum between the government’s ambition and actionable plan is creating uncertainty in understanding the government’s direction, which is in turn, deterring the private sector from committing the crucially needed funding for the development of hydrogen infrastructure. Unless an urgent framework is put in place to arrest the situation, the transition will be slower, and Nigeria might not eventually actualize its potential for green hydrogen production.
Since Nigeria will transition to hydrogen energy for the first time, a crucial question to be asked is how the infrastructure will be developed for the production, transportation, and storage of the hydrogen. This is an area where the government needs to be creative to develop an infrastructural roadmap to attract innovative international investors with both funding and technical knowhow for the hydrogen energy infrastructure. While attracting private sector investors, the existing gas pipeline can also be utilized for hydrogen transportation. Although not inherently designed for this purpose, with minimal modifications and moderate funding, the current gas pipeline can serve as a starting point. The ability to utilize this existing infrastructure will surely reduce capital expenditure and accelerate the adoption of hydrogen energy, which is crucial to the industrial revolution of a developing country like Nigeria.
Nigeria’s growing youthful population, if utilized properly, provides the country with the opportunity to develop into a regional hub for hydrogen technology training and innovation. This will, in turn, provide meaningful engagement to the citizens and give everyone a sense of belonging. This approach will lead to innovative ideas and collaboration, which can turn the present energy challenge into an opportunity to develop not only the energy sector but also to solve other issues like security.
Musbau A. Gbadamosi is a renewable energy and catalysis for hydrogen technology expert. He writes from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, USA. He can be reached at [email protected]