BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Committed to implementing Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC's), the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and partners have unveiled carbon management technoogy.
The NDC targets include a 20 percent unconditional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 47 percent conditional reduction by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
With the latest collaboration, NESREA alongside Africa Carbon Management Technology & Innovation, Centre of Excellence (ACMTI), and Clean Energy Ministerial Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Initiative (CEM-CCUS launched a Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCSU) Platform on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Director General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor described the project as an important milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and industrial transformation.
He said that the solution offered by CCSU provides an economically viable pathway for industrial decarbonisation, enabling effective management and deployment of carbon to areas of need, such as production of beverages, cement manufacturing, production of chemicals and fuels, enhanced oil recovery and agriculture.
Prof Barikor stated: "We need to reduce the carbon in the atmosphere to beneficiary levels, so carbon capture and utilization give us opportunity to capture carbon in storage and use it in other spheres for industrial purposes. We are building a circular economy, turning challenges into economic opportunities in line with regulatory provisions."
He disclosed that the CCUS platform is a collaborative ecosystem designed to integrate all stakeholders including government institutions, industry leaders in key sectors, the academia, technology developers, development partners and investors.
Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Georgewill Owunari commended NESREA for the initiative, which he said represented a practical mechanism for coordination, innovation, and action toward Nigeria’s 2035 targets and wider energy transition aspirations.
He said that UNIPORT is well positioned to host the CCUS initiative, noting that the Energy Technology Institute in the school had built credible expertise in energy transition-related areas that are directly relevant to the success of CCUS in Nigeria.
Coordinator of the ACMTI and facilitator of CTIP, Dr. Richard Victor Osu said that the vision was to position Nigeria as a regional leader in carbon management technologies while contributing meaningfully to Africa’s climate commitments and global decarbonization efforts.
He said the choice of Portharcourt stems from the identification of the city as one of the potential CCUS hubs in the country, adding that the platform will focus on advancing research and innovation in CCUS technologies, supporting capacity building and technical expertise, encouraging public–private partnerships, promoting investment opportunities, and facilitating collaboration with international research and technology partners.
Coordinator of CEM CCUS Initiative, Juho Lipponen assured that his organisation would assist Nigeria in prioritising CCUS in ministerial clean energy conversations, improving carbon management deployment programmes, boosting partnerships for CCUS growth, facilitating finance solutions, and enhancing positive narratives.
The Hybrid event featured speakers from the United States, Paris, Brazil, Canada United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, who shared insights on the project.
Other key stakeholders including the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the academia, the private sector and development partners attended the launch.
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