As part of efforts to shift from fossil fuel to cleaner energy, the Federal government of Nigeria, said it had started exploring opportunities in green hydrogen.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, while speaking at the Stakeholders’ Engagement on Green Hydrogen Development in Nigeria organised by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology in Abuja, stated readiness of this administration to explore the innovation.
“In Nigeria, we have embraced our gas resources as our transition fuel, aligning with our vision to declare 2021-2030 as the decade of gas in Nigeria.
“With a proven gas reserve of 208 trillion Cubic Feet and the implementation of appropriate policies and regulations to enhance the utilisation of these resources, Nigeria stands poised to emerge as an industrialised nation.
“While we continue to harness our gas resources, we remain open to exploring opportunities in hydrogen. Nigeria, endowed with rich oil and gas resources, occupies a unique position to leverage its expertise and infrastructure in transitioning towards our hydrogen potential.” He said.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Geoffrey, while explaining the use of green hydrogen, said, “As we know, green hydrogen results from splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, using electricity generated from renewable sources.
“It offers excellent potential to address the detrimental impacts of climate change occasioned by the release of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels into the environment.
“It also serves as viable and sustainable pathways for alternative energy generation, industrial development, environmentally friendly transport fuel, methanol production, fertiliser production among other economic uses.”
He added that global hydrogen demand will reach a very high point come 2050, with its production growing anually. There is therefore no better time for Nigeria which is a major player in world’s energy transition, to plug into this opportunity.
