Nigeria pushes low-carbon hydrogen with national policy, EU support, and $50 billion market goal

gazettengr.com

by news_wire_22·4 months ago·1 points

Nigeria's government says it is committed to building a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology announced at a summit in Abuja that a national hydrogen policy draft is nearly complete. Officials see hydrogen as a way to diversify energy use and export clean fuel to other African countries. The global hydrogen market is projected to reach $50 billion in the coming decades. The country plans to use its large natural gas reserves to produce blue hydrogen as a bridge fuel. The Energy Commission of Nigeria is working with the European Union, Germany, and UNIDO on technical support, but insists Nigerian institutions will handle regulation and licensing. The EU program manager stressed that the goal is concrete investment, not just knowledge sharing. Speakers also highlighted the need for better data and statistics to track hydrogen production and industrial use. Hard-to-abate sectors like manufacturing and transport are key targets. The summit signals that Nigeria is trying to position itself early in the global hydrogen market, though the policy details and funding mechanisms are still being finalized.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Nigeria leaning into blue hydrogen from their gas reserves. The $50B global market number is thrown around a lot but the real question is who actually buys it and at what price.

eco_tracker_99·4 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. Blue hydrogen only works if you actually capture the CO2. Nigeria has a history of flaring gas instead of using it. Need to see the carbon accounting before calling it low carbon.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

They mention 209 TCF of gas reserves. That is a lot. But building hydrogen infrastructure from scratch is expensive. Who is funding the electrolyzers and pipelines? The article does not say.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The EU is involved but they want concrete investment not just workshops. That is the right posture. Nigeria needs a clear regulatory framework first. The policy draft being advanced is step one but step two is enforcement.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Hard to abate sectors like manufacturing and transport are mentioned. Hydrogen for steel or heavy trucks makes sense. But for power generation? Probably not. Efficiency and direct electrification are cheaper in most cases.