Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for an integrated approach to driving energy access and support net-zero targets.
Speaking at the global launch of Nigeria Integrated Energy Planning Tool (IEP) held virtually, Osinbajo said that sustainable energy access was crucial for the country’s development.
The Nigeria Integrated Energy Planning Tool was launched in collaboration with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and funding from The Rockefeller Foundation.
It is said that this tool makes use of geospatial data and modeling to provide a low-cost, dynamic, and data-driven way of identifying the mix of technologies, and the spending required achieving universal energy access by 2030.
According to Osinbajo, establishing clean, sustainable, and reliable energy access is intertwined with so many of Nigeria’s development goals.
“We have proven that transforming our energy system is a national priority through our Economic Sustainability Plan, and most recently, with our announcement at COP26 in Glasgow to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060”, he said.
On the importance of the initiative, Osinbajo noted that the tool would be essential for the government to achieve its universal access and clean cooking gas targets. He committed that all arms of government would promote it and use it broadly and also urged the international community to support Nigeria’s transition efforts with more realistic climate finance support.
Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for its bold vision in closing its energy access gaps and for its ambitious Energy Transition Plan that outlines a pathway to net-zero by 2060.
“Without prioritising universal energy access, including clean cooking, we will not achieve our global net-zero targets. Energy is also critical to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals, including improved healthcare, better jobs and livelihoods, and greater gender equality.”
On her part, Damilola Ogunbiyi, chief executive officer/special representative to the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) said: “Nigeria is leading the charge with their ambitious commitment to achieve net-zero by 2060.”
The SEforALL helmswoman noted, “I believe access to accurate and transparent data is critical to decision-making. I hope this demonstrates to other countries an invaluable tool for achieving their own energy access goals.”
Ogunbiyi is already on a four-day trip in Nigeria for high-level meetings to harness the potential of the Nigeria IEP in the implementation of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan.
Rajiv J. Shah, president of The Rockefeller Foundation said the Foundation was proud to partner with Nigeria and SEforALL to help communities connect and transition to quality renewable energy as the world strives to turn the commitments from COP26 into action.
“The Nigeria Integrated Energy Planning Tool is transformative in its approach to integrated electrification. Not only will it advance our efforts to empower millions of people in Nigeria, but it will also provide a model for clean electrification programs, showing the world how to change energy for good,” Shah said.
Enumerating the benefits of the initiative to Nigeria, experts said the IEP stipulates that the least-cost plan for providing universal electrification through the grid, mini-grid, and solar home systems amounts to $25.8 billion.
According to them, for Nigeria to achieve universal access by 2030, the tool estimates that 19.3 million additional connections will be required across the country.
This is exclusive of the expected 11.3 million additional connections in places that already have access to electricity due to population growth.
According to research pulled from the IEP platform, a mini-grid represents the least-cost technology for the bulk of these connections (8.9 million connections), with grid (5.4 million) and solar home system (5.0 million) sharing a similar number of connections between them.
Read also: Nigeria needs $27bn to achieve universal clean energy by 2030 – study
It stated that when productive use demand from agricultural activities is also included in the analysis, such as maize and rice milling activities, this increases the number of mini-grid least cost communities by around 200,000.
Though it is capital intensive as the total cost to deliver these connections is estimated to be $22.9 billion, of which $20 billion needs to be invested as up-front capital, given the main technologies being used such as solar do not consume any fuel and therefore have a limited operating cost.
It is estimated that around 53 percent of households in mini-grid settlements and 92 percent of households in solar home system settlements will require public support to afford the total cost of ownership of the electrification solution.
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