How the NECAL2050 can be leveraged to drive Nigeria's climate goals

The Energy Commission of Nigeria, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Environment, and the British High Commission announced the release of a new version of the Nigeria Energy Emission Calculator (NECAL2050), developed on the framework of the United Kingdom's 2050 Calculator. The original version of the calculator was first released in Nigeria in 2013. The Nigeria Energy Emission Calculator (NECAL 2050) is a comprehensive energy demand, supply, and emissions tool designed to assist the energy sector in setting CO2 reduction objectives and implementing the country's National Determined Contributions (NDCs). The NECAL2050 attempts to identify energy development routes for energy demand and supply between 2015 and 2050.

NECAL2050's latest edition includes changes to six sectors, including transportation, infrastructure, industry, CO2 removal and gasses, electricity and land, and bioenergy and waste. The tool was designed to assist the government and other stakeholders answer essential questions around how energy demand can be fulfilled with varying levels of effort and CO2 emission targets. Also, it enables users to experiment with various energy scenarios.

The NECAL2050 can also be used to inform industry experts and non-experts debate about carbon emission reduction and modern energy challenges. It defines a range of four possible change trajectories, and these trajectories are designed to represent the whole range of potential future outcomes for that sector. The calculator will enable investors to assess and verify long-term goals' viability using various scenarios.

The government will use the NECAL2050 for policy formulation and decision-making to implement the country's long-term climate goals and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.