The Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED) at University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), says the centre has the potential and capacity to end inadequate electricity supply in the country.
Prof Emenike Ejiogu, the Director of the centre said this in Nsukka on Monday while speaking with newsmen on the centre’s Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) gasification plant which he said would provide solution to Nigeria’s energy crisis.
Ejiogu disclosed that, the centre had already produced the prototype of 100kva and 500kva of the RDF gasification plant and demonstrated how it work in UNN.
” RDF is a waste-to-energy facility that converts processed municipal solid waste (MSW) into a fuel, then uses a gasification process to create a syngas.
” The syngas can then be used to produce electricity and heat, the process involves pre-treating waste to remove non-combustible materials.
” Feeding the remaining combustible fraction into a gasifier where it is converted into a fuel gas through a high-temperature thermochemical process,”, he said
Ejiogu noted that this waste to energy conversion system that can be a basis for mini grid system all over Nigeria to supply uninterrupted energy needs if given the centre is given adequate funding by Federal Government or any organisation.
“We have developed the whole value chain for the system, we have studied quantity of waste needed, prototype of how to convert the wastes to solid fuel in briquettes.
” Then convert the briquettes to gas and use it to produce energy that would provide steady supply of electricity in the country.
” the waste gasification plant has the capacity to generate power close to where it is intended to be distributed.
“Over dependence on national grid for electricity supply which has not been steady without alternative energy system has grossly affected efforts to achieve steady power supply in the country,”he said
The director of the centre recalled that two former ministers visited UNN to come and see and observe how our 100kva and 500kva RDF gasification plant prototype work, the two ministers expressed happiness on efficient working of the prototype demonstrated.
” The former Minister of State for Power, Mr Goddy Agba and former Ministry of Science and Technology late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu visited UNN on a separate occasions to come and see things for themselves.
“They were all satisfied after we demonstrated to them how the plant functions and they promised to present the issue for discussion at the Federal Executive Council meeting for government support ” he said.
He explained that other power sources like national grid, solar will be there, but the refuse-derived-fuel gasification plant will provide better energy mix that would be cheaper, more reliabler and beneficial
“Federal, State , local government or business organization who wants to test our integrity should sponsor the centre using one Housing Estate as a pilot project and see that our gasification plant has the capacity to provide 24 hours electricity supply daily.
The director disclosed that on November 3, 2025 when Federal Government through the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa unveiled the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) in the country in Abuja and their comprehensive compendium of their achievements,
The centre’s Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) gasification plant was among main research items exhibited and demonstrated by the centre before the minister and guests who attended that unveiling ceremony.