Over the week, a poll was conducted on The Electricity Hub’s social media page to access public views on the best path to universal electricity in Nigeria. The results from the people indicated a tie as 50 per cent of voters believe that natural gas is the way forward and the other 50 per cent assert that renewable energy is the best path.
Electricity Access in Nigeria
In the energy progress report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the current electrification rate in Nigeria stands at 55 per cent. While 74 per cent of the urban residents have access to electricity, only a meagre 26 per cent of rural residents have access to electricity.
Hindrances in the Power Sector
Nigeria, the giant of Africa, is heavily plagued by challenges in its electricity sector. The challenges cut across the divisions of the sector. Electricity generation companies (GenCos) are faced with old and worn out infrastructure that have rendered some power plants inoperative.
On the transmission end, the inadequate transmission network hinders the optimum capacity to transmit the generated power from GenCos to the distribution end, which cannot also receive the power. As a result, they reject power and end up shedding the load amongst end-users.
Natural Gas as an Energy Source
Nigeria has an abundance of gas reserves (203.16 tcf). It has the largest gas reserve in Africa and the 9th largest in the world. However, despite this abundance, a huge percentage is lost to gas flaring. According to the National, Environmental, Economic and Development Study (NEEDS), the environmental cost of gas flaring amounts to ₦233 billion annually. Utilising natural gas to generate electricity is highly expensive, and there are many processes involved in transforming natural gas into a clean source that would be considered environmentally safe.
Renewable Energy as an Energy Source
Nigeria has significant renewable energy resources such as abundance in solar radiation, numerous water resources for hydropower generation, and a relatively large wind capacity. Moreover, as opposed to natural gas, renewable energy is environmentally sustainable, the cost of construction is relatively cheap, and renewable energy capacities create more employment opportunities than natural gas.
The downside of renewable energy is that many persons are yet to understand its capacities. However, Energy providers can resolve this challenge through awareness creation.