Nigeria Steps Up Plans to Adopt Green Hydrogen Energy
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has opened strategic talks with the International Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (IHFCA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to chart a new course for renewable energy investments and technological innovation in Nigeria.
The multilateral discussions focused heavily on current global hydrogen initiatives and established clear avenues for partnership to transition Nigeria’s green energy policies into scalable industrial projects.
As part of the high-level engagement, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, led a delegation of industry leaders, investors, and global project developers to inspect the EMT Madrid facility in Spain. The pioneering installation spans nearly 50,000 square metres and stands as Europe’s first municipal hydrogen bus facility to successfully manage the entire green hydrogen cycle, encompassing production, compression, storage, and distribution.
The facility achieves complete energy self-sufficiency by generating green hydrogen through water electrolysis, powered entirely by a massive 2,780-panel solar array. It relies on high-pressure CETIL dispensers operating at 350 bar, which are capable of fully refueling a municipal city bus in less than 10 minutes. Built by Spanish engineering firms and backed by over €17.2 million in European Union funding, the station currently powers a fleet of 10 hydrogen buses serving the Madrid metropolis.
Speaking on the operational insights gained from the facility and the subsequent international dialogue on hydrogen deployment, Senator Bagudu explained the government’s intent to move past theoretical frameworks.
“Our discussions and first-hand assessments focus on practical pathways for hydrogen deployment, cross-regional cooperation, and ecosystem development,” Bagudu said. “This engagement provides a curated platform where policymakers, investors, standards bodies, and developers can collaboratively determine how hydrogen moves from policy ambition to scalable implementation.”
The Beijing-based IHFCA, which organized the conference, is an international academic non-profit entity established by research institutions and enterprises across the global hydrogen value chain. Officially registered in July 2022, the body operates under the supervisory authority of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), serving as a primary international hub for cross-border clean energy partnerships.
