Nigeria's renewables industry to generate 500,000 jobs
One of the strongest arguments in favor of developing biofuels and renewables in the Global South is the potential to generate much needed jobs and spill-over effects into other sectors. Earlier we pointed to government estimates on how much employment Brazil's new ethanol plans will bring (3.6 million by 2010 - earlier post), and we looked at Indonesia's large bioenergy investments from this perspective as well (2.5 million jobs by 2010 - earlier post). Bioenergy has the potential to bring social and economic development to rural areas in the South.
Energy experts and stakeholders from West-Africa yesterday assessed Nigeria's Renewable Energy Master-plan (REMP) and came to the same conclusion. A draft of this plan was submitted to government in 2005, but has been reworked since. At the audit, National Coordinator of the Council of Renewable Energy in Nigeria, Odigha Odiagha, predicted that exploitation of the country's renewable energy potential could create avenues for mass employment.
The main points of the draft REMP can be summarized as follows:
The Renewable Energy Master-plan entails an ambitious but achievable commitment to the development of all major renewable energy resources, and includes short, medium and long term targets, planned activities and milestones and strategies for implementation of this comprehensive renewable energy development strategy. The development of the sector in Nigeria as a major strategy that would not only conserve the nation's oil reserves, but would also develop the economy and alleviate poverty:
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: renewables :: poverty alleviation :: rural development :: Africa ::
Renewable energy technologies utilise energy from small-scale hydro, wind, solar, geo-thermal, biomass, biogas, and biofuels which Nigeria has in abundance. The energy development expert said apart from the potential to generate about 500,000 jobs in the next 10 years, exploiting energy from renewable sources like solar, wind and hydro-dams can contribute to a stronger economy, and in addressing the estimated $1billion a year, which Nigerian businesses lose due to an unstable power supply.
According to the coordinator, a developed renewable energy sector would also engender a healthier, cleaner nation, which would be powered by energy from inexhaustible sources.
Not only do they provide clean, stable means of energy generation, the large scale implementation of renewable energy makes economic sense for Nigeria both in the short term and the long term, he said.
Regional integration
Being central to the economic development of West Africa region, EOWAS Director for Infrastructure and Industry, David Kamara, had asked Africa's most populous country to broaden the master plan to incorporate the sub-region.
He asked countries in the region to shift from "stand-alone" technology initiatives which slowed development and progress.
"If the Nigeria Renewable Master Plan is to enlarge and accommodate other countries within the region it will become more attractive and of advantage for ECOWAS," Kamara said.
The production of renewable energy will undoubtedly alleviate the problems of waste management African countries are faced with.
More information:
This Day (Lagos): Nigeria: 500,000 Jobs Expected From Renewable Energy, Jan. 8, 2006
Afrol News:Gambia to produce renewable energy, Jan. 5, 2006
Article continues
Energy experts and stakeholders from West-Africa yesterday assessed Nigeria's Renewable Energy Master-plan (REMP) and came to the same conclusion. A draft of this plan was submitted to government in 2005, but has been reworked since. At the audit, National Coordinator of the Council of Renewable Energy in Nigeria, Odigha Odiagha, predicted that exploitation of the country's renewable energy potential could create avenues for mass employment.
The main points of the draft REMP can be summarized as follows:
- power generation target: 2,945MW of wind, solar PV, solar thermal, small hydro and biomass to be installed by 2025, roughly an equivalent to the entire capacity used in Nigeria today.
- accent on decentralisation: renewable energy technologies do not have to be connected to a large grid, thus can be cost-effective choices for expedient rural electrification.
- estimate of jobs to be generated under the plan: 500,000 jobs in the next 10 years.
- new models and policies to enhance cooperation of government, private sector and civil society organisations.
- development of a frameworked for power sales from small-scale renewable energy producers to the national grid.
The Renewable Energy Master-plan entails an ambitious but achievable commitment to the development of all major renewable energy resources, and includes short, medium and long term targets, planned activities and milestones and strategies for implementation of this comprehensive renewable energy development strategy. The development of the sector in Nigeria as a major strategy that would not only conserve the nation's oil reserves, but would also develop the economy and alleviate poverty:
"Developing, manufacturing, building, installing, and maintaining renewable energy technologies has the potential to create many new Nigerian-lead jobs and powerful modern industries. This will serve to empower entrepreneurs and companies to help build a vibrant and diverse economy. It is also a wise economic choice for the long term. As fossil fuels deplete, Nigeria will have diverse, dependable energy sources and be able to strategically benefit from our oil resources". -- Odigha Odiagha, National Coordinator of the Council of Renewable Energy, NigeriaOdigha said renewable energy is part of the solution to conserving far more resources than just oil. 50% of Nigeria's current energy consumption comes from primitively used wood fuel and charcoal. Its replacement by modern bioenergy and other renewables will ease the burden on the health and time of Nigeria's women and children, conserve forests and contribute to cleaner and better environment for Nigerians to live in:
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: renewables :: poverty alleviation :: rural development :: Africa ::
Renewable energy technologies utilise energy from small-scale hydro, wind, solar, geo-thermal, biomass, biogas, and biofuels which Nigeria has in abundance. The energy development expert said apart from the potential to generate about 500,000 jobs in the next 10 years, exploiting energy from renewable sources like solar, wind and hydro-dams can contribute to a stronger economy, and in addressing the estimated $1billion a year, which Nigerian businesses lose due to an unstable power supply.
According to the coordinator, a developed renewable energy sector would also engender a healthier, cleaner nation, which would be powered by energy from inexhaustible sources.
Not only do they provide clean, stable means of energy generation, the large scale implementation of renewable energy makes economic sense for Nigeria both in the short term and the long term, he said.
Regional integration
Being central to the economic development of West Africa region, EOWAS Director for Infrastructure and Industry, David Kamara, had asked Africa's most populous country to broaden the master plan to incorporate the sub-region.
He asked countries in the region to shift from "stand-alone" technology initiatives which slowed development and progress.
"If the Nigeria Renewable Master Plan is to enlarge and accommodate other countries within the region it will become more attractive and of advantage for ECOWAS," Kamara said.
The production of renewable energy will undoubtedly alleviate the problems of waste management African countries are faced with.
More information:
This Day (Lagos): Nigeria: 500,000 Jobs Expected From Renewable Energy, Jan. 8, 2006
Afrol News:Gambia to produce renewable energy, Jan. 5, 2006
Article continues
Monday, January 08, 2007
European dependence on Russian energy fully exposed, once again
A quick overview of the facts:
- Late december: Gazprom announces that it is raising gas prices for Belarus from US$47 per 1000m³ to US$105; if Belarus does not accept the new price, gas supplies will be cut off from January 1 onwards.
- Last-ditch talks result an agreement on Dec. 31, when Belarus accepts a price of US$100, but Belarussian president Lukashenko immediately announces retaliation
- Belarus is not in a strong economic or political position and uses the instrument of oil-transit taxes to punish Russia; on each ton of Russian oil that transits through Belarussian pipelines to Europe, a US$45 tax is imposed
- Russia refuses to pay the tax it deems to be illegal, upon which Belarus starts to siphon off oil as payment in kind for the duties
- Yesterday and today: Transneft, the state-run Russian pipeline monopoly, cuts off oil supplies to Belarus and therefor to Europe, and annouces it is working to find alternative routes; the cuts mainly affect Germany and Poland
- Germany and Poland study whether they must start tapping their strategic reserves, worth between 80 and 100 days of oil consumption
This entire episode once again shows how unreliable Russia and the former Soviet Republics are as energy suppliers. A diplomatic call by the European Commission to 'resolve the dispute as quickly as possible' does not hide the structural problem of heavy dependency and the risk of supply disruptions. Last year, in a similar row, Russia cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine, which affected Europe too.The growth of the European energy dependency rate does not promise anything good for the future. It can be summarised as follows:
- Oil: 22% of EU oil imports originate from Russia; 45% originate from the the Middle East; by 2030, 90% of EU oil consumption will have to be covered by imports
- Gas: 40% of EU gas imports originate from Russia (30% Algeria, 25% Norway); By 2030, over 60% of EU gas imports are expected to come from Russia with overall external dependency expected to reach 80%.
- Coal: By 2030, 66% of EU needs is expected to be covered by imports.
In the short term, there is not much the EU can do to increase its energy security or to lessen its dependency on foreign energy. But in the long run, several options are available. At the Biopact, we think diversifying into biomass and biofuels imports from the South is one of the most feasible, large-scale strategies available. Biomass can substitute all fossil energy sources (solid, gaseous and liquid) and, unlike other renewables, can be transported around the globe. Moreover, when produced in the South, biomass competes with fossil fuels.No doubt the Belarus-Russia gas dispute, which has now turned into a real theat to European energy security, will dominate the headlines over the coming days. We will be tracking this story closely and look at how it changes European public opinion on energy supply strategies.
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: energy security :: energy dependency :: geopolitics :: fossil fuels :: Gazprom :: Transneft :: Belarus :: Russia :: European Union ::
Article continues
posted by Biopact team at 6:24 PM 0 comments links to this post