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By Chibuike Okafor
Ongoing efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to stimulate continuous investment in the oil and gas industry to support the growth of the Nigerian economy received a major boost during the week as the NNPC-SPDC Joint Venture made commitment to take the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Iseni Gas Project.
This will see the building of a dedicated upstream facility to supply 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCF) to the domestic market for 10 years.
Once completed, the additional gas volumes supplied to the domestic market will also translate into significant forex savings for the nation.
The Çhief Corporate Communication Officer (CCCO), NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed this in a chat with reporters, saying that with this development, NNPCL is poised to sustain the momentum and finalise terms with partners for other upstream gas development projects.
He noted that adding 100 MMSCF of gas per day to the domestic market translates into feedstock capable of generating 400 Mega Watts (MW) of electricity or 1.5 Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MTPa) of Urea.
Based on the agreed structural design, the project will flow gas from the prolific Iseni wells through a dedicated 24” X 50km pipeline from Iseni into NAG 3 Gas Plant to be constructed at Utorogu.
The gas will then be processed and injected into the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) to the domestic market.
Soneye explained that this milestone was enabled by the strong collaboration and support for the JV from the Federal Government and NNPC Ltd, under the strategic leadership of the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and guidance of President Tinubu.
Nigeria’s gas reserve is estimated at 206 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF), and with adequate and consistent investment in the gas value chain, Nigeria could become Africa’s gas powerhouse.
There is palpable enthusiasm that the FID is a positive signal for the industry and inches the NNPCL-led JV towards the commencement of project activities that will have ripple effects on the economy by creating direct and indirect employment.
According to Soneye, this is just one in a series of efforts President Tinubu has instituted in the energy sphere, which is being driven by the NNPCL team led by Mele Kyari as a show of commitment to enhance the standard of living of Nigerians.
