Niger could become one of the first oil producers in Africa to experiment with decarbonization technology using green hydrogen

On Monday, February 21, the Nigerien government and Emerging Energy Corporation (EEC), a German energy solutions provider, signed an agreement to jointly explore opportunities to develop commercial green hydrogen projects in the West African country.

“ Both parties will find opportunities to stimulate demand for this product and prepare Niger to become a center of green hydrogen production in the region ”, explains an EEC press release.

The signing of the agreement follows contact between the two parties during the last African Energy Week in South Africa. EEC indicates that green hydrogen which is a “low-carbon solution will help decarbonize emissions-intensive industries in Niger, Africa, Europe and other countries that are highly dependent on fossil fuels”. This implies that part of the production will be used in local electricity production and the rest will be exported.

In addition to the production of green hydrogen, EEC specifies that it will invest in projects to decarbonize oil operations upstream and along the refining chain, using carbon capture techniques. Niger could thus become one of the first oil producers in Africa to experiment with this technology, which is in line with efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the sector.

Niger becomes the second West African country after Mauritania to have announced the idea of ​​producing green hydrogen. Last September, the British energy company Chariot Oil and Gas, announced that it plans to develop in the latter, a facility that will have a capacity of 10 GW.