The much anticipated switch from fossil fuels to renewables in Nigeria’s energy sector would be impossible going by some technical and economic requirements, Justice Derefaka, Technical Adviser on Gas Business and Policy Implementation to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has stated.
Derefaka said this while delivering a lecture, ‘The Role of Natural Gas in The Energy Transition & As A Catalyst for Nigeria’s Economic Resurgence’ at the TEDx Apapa salon event.
He said, “I know some people would like fossil fuels to be replaced by renewables as we speak. But for technical and economic reasons, this can’t happen overnight.”
As government expects renewables to eventually become the largest component of the global energy mix, he said, “We think that their share could double from 20 per cent now to around 30-40 per cent of the global energy mix by 2060.”
Noting that hydrocarbons will continue to play an important role for decades to come, Derefaka explained, “Only hydrocarbons can provide a full suite of energy products and address the shortcomings of alternative energies in terms of availability, storage and energy density.
“But, at the same time, the world needs to reduce CO2 emissions. This is why I’m convinced the energy mix needs to be based on a greater share of natural gas in combination with renewables.”
