The place of small hydropower electrification scheme in socioeconomic stimulation of Nigeria

Abstract

The World Bank reported that approximately 55% of Nigeria’s population have no access to the national electricity grid and most of these people live in the rural areas. The national grid capacity is hovering between 4500 MW and 6000 MW for a population of about 186 million. However, this is contrary to the enormous energy that abounds in Nigeria, both conventional and renewable energy sources. Nigeria is ranked 13th largest crude oil producer in the world and 1st in Africa, with current crude oil reserves of 37 billion barrels and gas reserves of 192 trillion cubic feet. The supply of adequate and affordable power by Nigeria to her citizens is further compounded by the global energy trends coined as energy trilemma. This involves the global pursuit of energy equity, energy security and environmental sustainability. Emission of CO2 in Nigeria has risen from 0.0 Kt in 1960 to 82 634.2 Kt in 2016 mainly due to the use of fossil fuels. This study sees small hydropower (SHP) systems as an alternative source of energy that satisfies the modern energy attributes of low CO2 emissions with environmentally friendly flow, and a renewable energy source. Only about 64.2 MW out of the 3,500 MW estimated SHP exploitable potential distributed across Nigeria has been tapped. Adequate development and utilization of SHPS will substantially add to the supply capacity of clean and affordable power in Nigeria. This study recognizes SHP systems as the cornerstone to rural electrification and socioeconomic activity stimulation in Nigeria.