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By Joel Anekwe
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Train 7 project is a big enabler of his administration’s plan to transform Nigeria into a major gas and industrialised nation.
The President stated this at the ground breaking of the Train 7 LNG project at Finima, Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State.
He said the Train 7 project is part of strategies mapped out by the Federal Government on which Nigeria would continue to grow its gas resources well into the future.
He expressed joy to see the Nigeria LNG, which he said started from just a project in the 1990s, transform into a very successful company of over 20 years of steady supply of LNG, LPG and Natural Gas Liquids into the global market.
“This has proven that Nigeria has great capacity to deliver value to the world by harnessing our natural reserves”, the President said and congratulated NLNG and its stakeholders for the success achieved.
He added that the company’s success has “proven to the world that a Nigerian company can operate a world class business safely, profitably and responsibly.
“As we flag off the Train 7 project today I look forward to the cooperation of the international oil companies, IOCs and indigenous operators towards harnessing of the over 600 tcf of gas reserves we are endowed with”.
The President urged the board, management, staff and all stakeholders of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited including the Rivers State Government and host communities and government agencies to ensure completion and eventual commissioning of the Train 7 project safely and timely so that Train 8 can start.
In his remarks the minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, said it was reassuring to support the Nigeria LNG operations with an additional train to bring the 6-train complex to a 7- train one.
He said the support was in acknowledgement of the success of the company, which was established in 1989 and commenced operations ten years later in 1999, adding that it represented “one of the bold steps by the federal government to partner with global institutions to the benefits of our dear country.
“The groundbreaking ceremony is a guarantee to every stakeholder of more dividends in terms of further reduction in gas flaring, more revenue for the investors and stakeholders, more jobs opportunities especially at the construction stage and more social investment for our society,” the minister added.
He explained that the Nigeria Content level in Train 7 is a record break level of 55 percent for a mid stream project covering engineering, fabrication, construction, manufacturing logistics and many other areas.
He added that provisions have been made for community content aspects of the project as contained in the local content development act saying that it the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board community guideline was being deployed on a mega project like the Train 7 project to ensure massive community participation.
“I believe that our in-country capacities are meant to be utilised and can only develop further by participating in mega projects like this”, Sylva stated.
In his address at the event, managing director/chief operating officer of NLNG, Tony Attah, said the aspiration to have the Train 7 started in 2007 after the completion of the 6th train but lamented that its realisation was delayed by many uncertainties.
He said the Train 7 project is worth $10-billion Foreign Direct Investment with the capacity to create 10,000 directly job opportunities and additional 40,000 indirect employment in construction.
He added that as much as 55 percent of the entire job scope would be handled in-country by Nigerian companies and personnel, noting that the motivation for the Train 7 project is due to global energy demand which would increase by 40 percent by 2050.
Attah said the Nigeria LNG has distinguished itself as a development partner with government, adding that its success has seen as it increased the annual injection of LPG to 350,000 tons, with a target of 470,000 tons.
He added that the company entered into an agreement with three Nigeria companies for the development of LNG in the country, saying that this would boost power generation and industrialisation in the country.
The NLNG MD said; “Train 7 will be an inspiration for Train 8, Train 9, 10 and even up to 15 on the heels of the recent declaration of the ‘Decade of Gas’ by our President. Like I have said in different for a, Nigeria has risen on the back of gas for the past 50 years. With Train 7 project Nigeria is set to and I believe it is time to fly on the wings of gas”.