APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Malam Mele Kyari, has said that Nigeria’s domestic gas infrastructure network has capacity to transport 6.9 billion Standard Cubic Feet (BCF) of gas to support power generation and gas-based industries.
Speaking at the 2023 edition of the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) on Thursday in Abuja, Kyari said that Nigeria’s huge investment in gas infrastructure was hinged on its growing natural gas reserves, thus supporting the nation’s aspiration to create Africa’s biggest industrial hub, powered by low-carbon energy.
He said that the NNPC Ltd. was taking advantage of Nigeria’s huge natural gas reserves of over 200 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) with a potential to grow to 600 TCF as more investment was expected due to recent resolution of the Production Sharing Contract disputes with partners.
According to him, this significant reserve will serve as a low-carbon energy alternative that will support growth in power and industrial sectors, address energy poverty, reduce carbon-footprint and create more employment opportunities.
“NNPC is playing a leading role in the realisation of the National Gas Expansion Programme, which seeks to deepen natural gas utilisation as an alternative transportation fuel, and an important feedstock for gas-based industries development.
“We are working assiduously to ensure timely delivery of gas pipeline infrastructure projects, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline corridor, planned Nigeria-Morocco and Trans-Sahara Gas Pipelines, that will connect West African countries to deliver natural gas to international markets,” he said.
On the gas export market, he said that the on-going Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train Seven would expand Nigeria’s LNG production capacity from 22 Million Tons Per Annum (MTPA) to about 30 MTPA.
He said it was leveraging the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act to attract more investment in the Nigerian Petroleum sector, to continue to guarantee access to energy, while aligning with global energy transition.
“As part of our sustainability strategy, NNPC is deploying carbon-reduction initiatives to gradually decarbonise our operations and improve our compliances with global emission reduction.
“All of these cannot be achieved if we do not have security of our operations. We will continue to further deepen collaboration amongst all the relevant stakeholders; government security agencies, host communities and others to enhance energy security.
“NNPC will deepen relationship with the Industry, Governments, Research Institutions and the Academia to strengthen its Renewable Energy Division to pursue commercially viable new energy ventures in line with Nigeria’s net-zero aspiration by 2060,” he said.
The lecture, which was organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), had as its theme “Effective Gas Resources Utilisation: A Lever for Enhancing Energy Security and Achieving Net-Zero Emission Goals in Nigeria”.
GIK/APA
Nigeria’s gas network has capacity to transport 6.9bn bcf for power generation – Official
