By Akinyemi Precious
The Shell Nigeria has announced the appointment of Mr. Ralph Gbobo as the Managing Director of its gas distribution company, Shell Nigeria Gas Limited, with effect from 1st July 2023, thereby succeeding Ed Ubong, who has assumed a new role within the Shell group.
This was made known in a statement by Shell on Wednesday.
Ralph Gbobo is an experienced Commercial Opportunity Manager who has held Commercial Management roles with accountability for Gas Value Chain Integration and Asset Commercial
Until this appointment, Gbobo was the Manager, Commercial and Non-Operated Venture of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Shell Shareholders Representative for the seven SPDC onshore non-operated venture assets.
As revealed by Shell, Gbobo will be heading SNG with a wealth of oil and gas industry experience, adding that the gas company is part of the Shell energy business line in Nigeria.
General Manager, Shell Energy Nigeria, Markus Hector, said, “Gbobo’s appointment is a product of diligence, competence, and commitment to Shell’s core values and our drive to powering progress by delivering more and cleaner energy to businesses in Nigeria.”
The company said the new Gasman will be responsible for leading SNG and safely delivering its domestic gas growth aspirations. He is passionate about unlocking the domestic gas-to-energy value chain to support the development of the Nigerian economy.
Shell also noted that Gbobo in his 21-year career with the company, has moved from the crude and products supply and trading development in the downstream to several other roles in the upstream, including Commercial Manager Crude Handling and Gas Integration Manager roles.
“I am filled with humility and resolve to spark innovation, promote sustainable growth, and create shared value for all.
“Collaboratively, we will drive advancements, empower communities, and demonstrate outstanding performance in our mission to achieve a cleaner, and promising energy future for Nigeria,” Gbobo said after confirming the appointment.
SNG currently operates a growing world class gas transmission and distribution network of over 138km in Nigeria. It operates several distribution systems including Agbara-Ota in Ogun state, the Aba Cluster in Abia State, and the Port Harcourt Cluster in Rivers State.
Also, over 100 industrial customers are already connected to these gas grids. SNG also has a strong relationship with virtual pipeline operators keen on developing compressed natural gas (CNG) and mini-LNG grids across all regions of Niger.
The company is in a growth phase and has recently expanded its gas distribution capacity by over 150 per cent ensuring its gas distribution networks are capable of distributing over 150 mmscf/d of dry processed gas to over 300 industrial customers.