Oil and gas unions say it is impossible to phase out fossil

The unions in the oil and gas sector on Thursday said it was impossible to phase out fossil such as Petroleum, Coal and Natural Gas in a decade.
The unions, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) made this known in separate interviews with journalists in Lagos.
The unions were reacting to a statement by some researchers in the U.K that Nigeria and other crude oil producing countries should intensify efforts towards alternative source of energy and foreign exchange.
According to the researchers, in the next 10 years Petroleum, Coal and Natural Gas would no longer be in use if alternative source of energy was not produced.
In his view, Mr Joseph Ogbebor, NUPENG General Secretary, said that the only alternative source of energy and power supply was nuclear, which the country did not have.
“It is impossible to phase out petroleum, coal or gas in Nigeria because that is our only source of energy.
“We can develop and improve on them to have alternative source of energy but the only alternative is nuclear and Nigeria does not have capacity for its production,’’ Ogbebor said.
Mr Emmanuel Ojugbana, Public Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, also said that it would not be possible to phase out petroleum, coal and natural gas in a decade.
Ojugbana argued that crude oil, hydrocarbon and others have always played a role in powering the world and not just in Nigeria.
He said that it would take a longer time than a decade to stop using petroleum, coal and gas and to replace it.
Ojugbana said that it was the main source of energy for the country and that it would take several decades to be replaced. (NAN)