By Uthman Salami
The Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has pledged to produce at least 5 billion Standard Cubic Feet (SCF) of gas per day for domestic consumption by next year.
The Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari while making this known at the 2nd Biennial International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science & Technology (ICHST) held at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, Delta State, assured Nigerians that plans to generate 5 gigawatts of power was still on course.
Kyari noted that the implementation of the Nigerian Gas Master Plan (NGMP) will help boost the country’s economy.
He further listed the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) II; the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline; the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, and the Central Gas Processing Facilities (CGPF) as some of the infrastructure that will help transform the oil and gas industry in the country.
The Group Managing Director believes that, with over 206TCF of natural gas reserves, the country has enough of the molecules to support new gas-fired power plants and more than enough to make gas a viable fuel for existing and new industrial facilities.
Mr. Emmanuel Igbokwuwe, Represented by the GMD pointed out that the use of gas would remain a key component of the global energy mix in the coming years.
“At the NNPC, we are aggressively pursuing other gas development initiatives with the aim of improving Nigeria’s economy using the appropriate fuels.
“In terms of gas and power, we are developing and integrating gas and power infrastructure networks, increasing interconnectivity, as well as stimulating gas demand for power generation, feedstock, and transport, among others.
“NNPC will continue to drive economic transformation using gas by embarking on projects and initiatives in collaboration with its JV partners and relevant stakeholders to deepen gas supply and utilisation,” Kyari stated.
He explained that the NNPC was exploring partnerships and investments in transmission to unlock evacuation and improve power distribution across the country, assuring the audience that the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 would be delivered by 2024.
The GMD noted that a major fallout from expanding the corporation’s domestic gas footprints would be the development of petrochemicals, fertiliser, methanol and other gas-based industries that will generate employment and facilitate balanced economic growth.
The Chairman of the World Energy Council (WEC) Nigerian National Committee, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, who delivered a paper titled: ‘Energy Transition in Nigeria: The Role of Capacity Building Institutions,’ emphasised that the most effective way to manage carbon emissions from the combustion of oil and gas is the circular carbon economy as currently being practised in Saudi Arabia.
“It has been shown that the storage of carbon dioxide underground is more effective and less demanding than planting of forests to serve as carbon sink.
“It is extremely important for PTI to urgently become fully versed with the full details of Saudi Arabia’s circular carbon economy and recommend adoption to the Nigerian situation,” he said.