Nigeria’s Gas Utilisation Index May Hit 7.5bscf By 2015

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has projected that the nation’s gas utilisation and demand index may rise to 7.5 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2015.

This is approximately 535 per cent  increase from the 1.4 billion standard cubic feet record in 1999.

Group Managing Director of the corporation, Engr Austen Oniwon, who made this known at the the just-concluded 35th edition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) 2011 in Abuja, said the jump is expected to be triggered by the massive investments in gas utilisation and monetisation projects across the country as part of the gas industrialisation policy of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Oniwon stated that to realise this dream, government has intensified efforts to bring the numerous gas-driven projects on stream, with some completed while others are ongoing, just as a number are at the verge of kicking off.

According to him, “we have assembled a robust set of investor projects that create a platform to position Nigeria trully as the regional hub for gas-based industries”, adding that, “ work is commencing on realising these projects in phases.”

To this end, Oniwon emphasised that, “we have just concluded and commissioned the 36”x136kilometre pipeline from Oben to Geregu, aimed at supporting Geregu Power Plant. We will by the end of August complete the expansion of the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPSA), Escravos-Warri 24″/36″x104kilometre, expected to expand the capacity from 300million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) of gas to 600mmscf/d.

“The ongoing expansion of ELPSC from Warri-Lagos 36”x324kilometre doubling capacity from one billion cubic feet per day of gas is expected to be completed by August, 2012,” he noted.

The NNPC GMD revealed that work was also ongoing on the NOPL pipeline from Obite in Rivers State to Obigbo Node, while contract for the Imo River-Alaoji 24″x26kilometre pipeline to support Alaoji Power Plant, and Aba consumers has been awarded, adding that the job is expected to be completed by August, 2012.

Oniwon stated that when work is completed on all ongoing gas pipeline projects, the gas utilisation and demand index of the country would dramatically increase, and this, he said, would reduce the tendency to flare gas and pollute the environment by IOCs.

Vivian-Peace Nwinaene