The group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, has challenged mechanical engineers in the country to avail themselves of the opportunities posed by the nation’s quest to use renewable energy as a source of advancing the power needs of the power.
While tasking them to upgrade their skills and expertise to support current initiative by the corporation to create a non-fossil fuel driven economy, Baru noted that the ongoing efforts to create a diversified energy base could benefit much from in-country capabilities and ingenious technological support of experts in the areas of mechanical and electrical engineering.
The NNPC GMD stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while speaking as the distinguished lecturer at the 12th Mechanical Engineers Distinguished Lecture, an event organised by the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Baru, in the presentation entitled: “Fast Tracking the Paradigm Shift from Fossil Fuel Driven Economy to Renewable Energy,” noted that the corporation was favourably disposed to institutional collaboration and academic partnership with universities and research centres in promoting research and innovation aimed of diversifying the energy sector.
He listed the required fields of competence to include; system reliability, control theory and modeling simulation, mechanics-mounting heavy components, designing for shock & vibration, heavy power equipment, as well as skills in enclosure/packing designs.
Other competences required include skills in magnetics design common in every single solar, wind, electric vehicle and power distribution box; skills in thermodynamics involving thermal and airflow designs; as well as ability to handle rotating machinery and monitor materials reliability and cost.
He said at this stage, the world needs a clean energy revolution in order to break its inordinate dependence on fossil energy fuels, adding that such a revolution would enhance global energy security, promote enduring economic growth and tackle environmental challenges, and break the long-standing link between economic growth and carbon dioxide emission levels.
“Nigeria on its part is endowed with tremendous prospects of growth in renewable technologies on account of readily available hydroelectric potentials, longer hours of sunshine in the northern part of the country and impressive wind speeds in the coastal and mountainous regions and land mass for the cultivation of energy crops like cassava, sugar cane etc,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Engr. Adekunle Mokuolu, president of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) applauded the NNPC GMD for his transformational strides in the management of the corporation, noting that the Nigerian engineering community was taking note of his performance as the chief steward of the national oil company.
