Nigeria’s Sapele Power has signed an agreement with a subsidiary of Canada's Rain Cage Carbon (RCC) to decarbonise its thermal power plant in Ogorode, Delta State and provide 1,000MW of renewable energy.

The contract with Africa + Rain Cage (A+RC) entails capturing carbon dioxide emissions and converting and refining them using proprietary technology into advanced carbon. This carbon is both graphitic and cathodic, meaning that electricity can be generated directly from it.

The advanced carbon forms the backbone of RCC’s trademarked DC Knight’s Charge generator, which needs no charging. It can be located in regions with limited or no grid connectivity, making it ideal for micro-grid deployments. Alternatively, it can provide clean power onto grids to support greener energy mix strategies from power plants.

“We are witnessing the birth of a new type of renewable energy, previously unavailable to the world,” said Dwayne Dreger, global managing partner of RCC and executive chairman of A+RC. “By converting fossil fuel emissions into renewable power, we may at last have discovered the key to energy transition by both reducing CO2 emissions and increasing available renewable power.”

The project planning phase is set to commence in 2024, with deployment scheduled to begin in 2025. The implementation will be carried out in two phases, each with a capacity of 500MW. According to RCC, there is potential to expand beyond the initial 1,000MW.

South Africa's CLG (formerly Centurion Law Group) advised on the deal.

Sapele Power owns and operates a 1,020MW thermal plant in Ogorode. Built in the late 1970s, it comprises six steam turbines with sub-critical boiler units and four gas turbines. In 2014, the local Eurafric Power acquired Sapele Power for US$201 million under the government’s power sector privatisation programme.

Photo: Gas-fired power plant, for illustrative purposes only (Source: © Thossaphol Somsri | Dreamstime)