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Renewable Energy: NIMASA preparing for Nigeria beyond crude oil, says Dakuku

L-R: NIMASA
DG, Dr. Dakuku Peterside presenting plaques to Dr. Ernest Nwapa. With them are  Chief
Operating Officer, Upstream Of NNPC, Alh Bello Rabiu, and Bank Anthony Okoroafor
of PETAN at the Offshore Technology Conference 2019 in Houston Texas.

The Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has emphasised its readiness
to develop policies that would see to a smooth transition from the regime of
intense wet cargo operations, which is the major source of income for the
maritime sector in Nigeria, to the inevitable era of renewable energy which may
see less activities in crude oil exploration and exploitation in the country.

The Director
General of NIMASA Dr Dakuku Peterside stated this when delivering a paper at
the Africa Regional Workshop  with the theme  ‘the effect
of Global Energy Transformation’ at one of the side workshops during the just
concluded Offshore Technology Conference, OTC in Houston Texas.


The NIMASA DG
noted that though the Maritime sector in Nigeria
benefited extensively from
oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria including limited technological and
skill transfer, the time to see both opportunities and associated risk of the
gradual shift towards renewable energy from fossil fuel for the maritime sector
is now. 

He said that there might be no need for huge vessels, for
intercontinental shipment of both crude and refined products in years to come,
thus the need for a new logistics dynamics to bring about logistics
diversification.

“We at
NIMASA are working to create a new framework to maximize opportunities provided
by renewable energy. So the world does not leave us behind. 

“As a Maritime
Administration we are taking conscious steps to put the necessary building
blocks for an era of renewable energy when exploration and exploitation of oil
and gas and all associated logistics will no longer play a major role. 

“We
propose policies to promote transition to clean and renewable energy. We have
accepted the inevitability of renewable energy in years to come, “ he
said.

Dakuku
further stated that there was the need for all African countries to invest in
research so that the advent of renewable energy would not take the continent by
surprise.

In his words
As government and a people, we must begin to invest in research. We must
invest in quality tailor made education for a future without much income from
fossil fuel and focused mainly on harnessing potentials of renewable energy
which are abound in our country.

He also
disclosed that partnership with other Agencies of Government to undertake
research and project into the immediate and long term future of the Maritime
industry in Nigeria is part of NIMASA preparation for the future with less
income from exploration and exploitation of the oil and gas sector. 

He noted
that the need for Very Large Crude Carriers VLCCs amongst others would reduce,
thus the need to guide investments in the Nigerian maritime sector.
According to
him “our partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and
Monitoring Board to identify the types of vessels that Nigerian should acquire
in order  to guarantee good business and return on investment in the
immediate and long term is part of our focus on the future. We are investing in
research to determine the opportunities and threats that will come with the
inevitable shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy.”

While making
an energy demand forecast in Africa to increase by 60% in 2030, Dr Dakuku said 
Hydrocarbons would continue
to play a role in the energy mix that would satisfy Africa’s growing energy
needs,

He added that  the shift to renewable energy as source would also
be significant by the year 2030, and
 urged African countries, particularly
Governments in West and Sub-Sahara Africa to lay much Emphasis on technology
driven process, research and education.

On his part,
Chairman Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Bank-Anthony
Okoroafor, noted that the second energy revolution in the 70s, which saw
petroleum energy becoming the major source of energy replacing Coal energy
which had hitherto provided over 62% of world energy needs in the 1920’s should
be an indication of what to expect as the world gravitate towards renewable
energy.

The cost
of solar energy generation in 2015 has decreased to as low as one sixth the
cost in 2005 and the cost is still crashing daily. With the mass production of
electric cars, it is pertinent to note that in no distant future, the
“petroleum age” will become a thing of the past just like coal,”
 he said.

Stakeholders from the oil
and gas and maritime industry across the world, particularly from West and
Central Africa attended the regional workshop.

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