WorldStage Newsonline– Nigeria is planning to harness its bioenergy potential to expand access to modern energy services, according to Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, the Director-General of Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN).
Abdullahi in a statement said that the ECN had inaugurated steering and technical committees of Nigeria Bioenergy partnership (NBEP) to key into the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) initiatives.
He said Nigeria stood to benefit from its abundant bioenergy potential which had been under-utilised over the years, through the initiatives.
“The composition of the National GBEP Steering and Technical Committee is to formally and fully commence discussions on bioenergy with stakeholders.
“This will consequently open the frontiers and unlock the huge potentials of the bioenergy resources for the country which it stands to make enormous benefits from.
“Modern bioenergy can provide multiple benefits, such as energy access and security, promoting rural economic development and increasing household income,” he said.
He added that the technology would also improve the living standard of rural communities, mitigate climate change, and provide access to modern energy services among others.
Abdullahi said Nigeria’s biomass potential could be directed into modern bioenergy, adding that a glance at the country’s biomass resources revealed its endowment in the area of enormous biomass energy potentials
“Such that we have 11 million hectares of forest and woodland municipal waste that has been quantified as 30 million tonnes per year.
“Animal waste amounting to 245 million assorted animals in 2001, energy crops and agricultural residues which give 72.5 million hectares.
“Nigeria therefore, has relatively abundant bioenergy potentials which have been grossly underutilised and if adequately exploited, will make significant contributions to the nation’s energy mix and the economy,” he said.
