Ismaila Umaru Lere
Despite its net-zero carbon emissions pledge by 2060, the federal government has signalled the return of coal mining in the country. This followed the offering up for sale of five coal blocks in Enugu.
Recently, the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) called for the expression of interest for five blocks in Enugu, listing them as the Amasiodo coal block, Onyeama Coal Block, Okpara Coal Block, Inyi Coal Block and the Agwasi Azagba Coal Block.
All the five coal fields are currently being held by the moribund Nigerian Coal Corporation (NCC) on behalf of the federal government.
With this new development, it appears that Nigeria is fortuitously turning back on its net-zero covenant. In November 2021, at the COP26 Leaders’ Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, President Muhammadu Buhari pledged that Nigeria would cut its emissions to net zero by 2060.
His words then, “I do not think anyone in Nigeria needs persuading of the need for urgent action on the environment. Desertification in the North, floods in the centre, pollution and erosion on the coast are enough evidence.
‘‘For Nigeria, climate change is not about the perils of tomorrow but what is happening today. Nigeria is committed to net zero by 2060.”
However, the president said Nigeria still remains a severely energy-poor nation, therefore greater effort should be channelled towards assisting her and other developing nations to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitments through the pledges made by the developed countries to provide at least $100 billion annually.
The BPE advertisement portrayed the government’s readiness and resolve to open up the coal mining sector to private industry participation and implement a policy on the deregulation of the exploration and exploitation of the subsector which had been in place since 1999.
Though Nigeria is a signatory to the 2016 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and has committed to limiting global temperature rise by scaling down on carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation, the recent move to revive coal mining and exploitation indicates that the government is equally desirous of taking a pragmatic approach on climate change. The federal government will work to tackle the biggest environmental threats facing mankind on one hand, while pursuing vigorously to diversify the country’s energy sources by exploiting our vast coal reserves on the other.
Coal utilization in Nigeria has been a topic of much debate and controversy over the years. The country has significant coal reserves, estimated at over 2.5 billion metric tonnes, but the sector has been largely neglected due to a combination of factors, including the discovery of oil, and the high cost of developing coal infrastructure.
Despite these challenges and environmental concerns, coal remains an important source of energy in Nigeria, particularly for industrial applications such as cement production, steel manufacturing, and power generation. Coal-fired power plants currently account for about 2% of Nigeria’s total electricity generation, but there are plans to increase this to 30% by 2025, in line with the country’s national energy policy.
Instructively, the world’s major powers, which achieved industrialisation largely powered by coal, are now discouraging attempts by poorer countries to exploit this vital resource by claiming that it contributes to global temperature rises.
Despite this posturing and outward behaviour attitude, coal is still a major energy source for developed countries. Six billion tonnes of hard coal and one billion tonnes of brown coal were used worldwide in 2018. Since 2000 AD, global coal consumption has grown faster than any other fuel. The world’s five largest coal users, namely China, USA, India, Russia and Japan, together account for 77% of global coal use. In view of this, it is imperative that Nigeria utilises its massive coal reserves. If well utilised, it can generate 30 percent of our electricity needs. While the world embarks on the wild goose chase of pursuing so-called cleaner energy options, the Russia/Ukraine war has provided us with an eye opener.
Last year, we saw Germany and several of its European neighbours returning to coal-fired power plants in order to conserve reserves of natural gas after Russia cut back its gas exports following the invasion of Ukraine.
Though Germany’s climate-focused government said it was on its way to phasing out ‘dirty” coal from its energy sector, the country has to resort back to coal to heat homes during the harsh winter.
The most advanced nations such as USA, Russia and China still use huge amounts of coal for energy uses, as do other industrial nations. All the talk about coal being a dirty fuel has not stopped them from using it.
China, for instance, has used its huge coal reserves to power itself into economic greatness within a generation.
We should not, therefore, be hoodwinked by them into leaving millions of tonnes of coal underground based on the assertions that it is a dirty fuel.
Interestingly, some countries have found ways to treat coal via briquetting and make it less dirty than it otherwise was. We can do the same thing here.
Coal has many important uses in electricity generation, industrial and domestic applications.
Given all the problems we are having in this country with power generation, it is more sensible to explore the coal option to breach the energy deficit. However, coal utilization is an option that is fraught with challenges, though not insurmountable.
One of the major challenges of coal utilization in Nigeria is the lack of modern infrastructure for mining, processing, and transportation. Most of the coal mines in the country are located in the eastern region, where the terrain is difficult and transportation is expensive.
Another challenge is the environmental impact of coal mining and combustion. Coal mining can cause significant land degradation, water pollution, and air pollution, which can have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Coal combustion also releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Despite these challenges, there are several benefits to coal utilization. Coal is a relatively cheap source of energy, which can help to reduce the cost of electricity and promote economic growth. It also provides a reliable source of energy, which is particularly important in a country where power outages are common.
Moreover, coal utilization can help to diversify Nigeria’s energy mix, which is currently heavily reliant on oil and gas. This can reduce the country’s vulnerability to fluctuations in oil prices and supply disruptions, as well as promote energy security.
To maximize the benefits of coal utilization in Nigeria while minimizing the environmental impact, there is a need for modern infrastructure and technologies that can improve efficiency and reduce the emissions of coal-fired power plants. This includes technologies such as carbon capture and storage, which can capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from coal combustion, reducing their impact on the environment.
As it is, the global push to reduce carbon dioxide emissions also has a component that encourages tree planting because trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As a nation we can therefore offset all the carbon dioxide we add to the atmosphere through exploiting our coal reserves with an accelerated national tree planting program.
To increase the benefits of coal utilization, there is also a need for improved regulation and enforcement of environmental standards in the coal sector. This can include measures such as the restoration of mined land, the monitoring of air and water quality, and the enforcement of strict pollution control standards.