Editorial: Human Rights at the Heart of Energy Justice

Energy justice has grown significantly across all disciplines involved in energy research. Here an energy justice circle is advanced where the relationship with energy justice and human rights across the energy lifecycle is explored. It is clear that at the heart of energy justice from a practical perspective is the protection of human rights. That is what energy justice and the application of the forms of justice – procedural, distributive, restorative, recognition and cosmopolitan - that provide its basis can achieve.

Reimaging the Routes to Resilience & Renewables in the CARICOM & OECS Caribbean

The states of the CARICOM and OECS Caribbean are small island developing states (SIDS) which are exceedingly vulnerable to economic and ecological shocks. Examples of vulnerability are the economic cost of a heavy reliance on imported oil & gas resources, and the pernicious effects of climate change. A key strategy to mitigate these vulnerabilities is to invest in renewables, increase resilience, and effect an energy transition for the Region. However, research and data on renewable energy and resilience in the region is still evolving. Further, it has become apparent from stakeholder fora such as CREF and IRAC that there are certain fundamental elements which need to be understood and addressed before the Region can achieve a just energy transition. The first is a clear understanding of what resilience means for the Region's renewable energy sector. The second relates to financing options which incorporate elements of resilience into renewable energy projects. Thirdly, in the rebuilding from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is recognised that reimagining full gender equality in the energy sector will be key to sustainable and competitive development. This Article explores the recent developments to re-imaging the route to resilience and renewables in the CARICOM & OECS Caribbean through collaborative efforts at the regional level. It also sets out the next steps in these three fundamental areas and outlines the role for future research to support these regional initiatives.

Critical Legal issues in the Nigerian Gas to Power Contractual Arrangements

The natural gas and power sectors are pivotal sectors of the Nigerian economy with reflective effect on its gross domestic product. The Federal Government in its gas revolution agenda is taking giant strides to reposition the sector to more adequately harness its abundant natural gas resources and ensure availability of natural gas to the domestic market with the gas supply to the power sector being regulated to build base load volumes to ensure stable electricity supply to its citizens. The synergic connection of the gas and power sectors can only validly exist upon legitimate contractual arrangements such as the gas sale and purchase agreement, the gas transport agreement and the gas sale aggregation agreement which is unique to Nigerian domestic gas industry. Out of these arrangements flow pertinent legal issues which define clearly the relations between the parties. This paper therefore throws more light on some of these salient issues which arise pursuant to the respective agreements. It is hoped that this discourse would guide and further facilitate a deeper understanding of these critical terms.

Three Stages of Justice in the Fossil Fuel Industries

The importance of assessing energy industries through a justice framework has widely become recognised in recent years. Creating and using the energy justice framework by different scholars is a manifestation of this recognition. Much of the scholars' attention is, however, currently being applied to the energy justice framework on the renewable energy industry and attempting to design a ‘perfect’ and ‘just’ energy system. This author believes, as set out in this article, that a theory of justice must address and reduce injustices in any circumstances, rather than aiming only at the characterisation of so-called ‘perfect justice’. Over-emphasising on a zero-carbon future and overlooking the present reality means that we accept many other injustices that are associated with fossil fuels until the time when we can dispose of fossil fuels, which are ‘future-uncertainty’. In this article, the author, by analysing current data and information regarding the production of oil and gas and its consumption and reserves, as well as different scenarios towards the future of energy, argues that the dominant position of fossil fuels is not going to change anytime soon. Based on this reality, and recognising what are considered to be some inherently unjust features of the oil and gas industry, the author proposes three complementary stages for justice in the oil and gas industry; a perfect and just energy system that has zero-carbon and is decentralised is the final stage. The second stage is fair energy transitions, which emphasises a ‘just transition’ towards that desired future. The first stage, however, which is often overlooked, is applying the energy justice framework in the oil and gas industry to identify any injustices that can be reduced or limited.

Developing a Renewable Energy Based Off-Grid Electricity Solution for Nigeria

Nigeria has always depended on the national grid network for the supply of electricity across the country. Despite the various efforts at grid expansion, the national grid is yet to get to every part of the Nigeria. The cost of grid expansion, the massive size and difficult terrain of certain parts of the country make are the major limitation to national grid expansion. Thus, most rural dwellers are yet to get access or sufficient supply of electricity. Also, the heavy dependence on the grid network puts the country at risk of blackout in most part of the country should the grid break down. On the other hand, off-grid electrification, which is a modern means of electricity sourcing other than the grid network with the use of mini-grid or stand-alone systems, can serve, as alternative means of electricity, supply for Nigeria. Off-grid systems are dynamic and adaptable to fit the peculiarities of each region, such as: land topography, population size, energy sources, etc. This paper examined the various renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar, wind, and biomass as viable sources of energy which Nigeria can be explore to power off-grid platforms. However, there is a dearth of legal framework to support the use of renewable energy sources for off-grid electricity. Thus, there is need for legislative efforts by the legislature or regulation by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission to fill this gap.