Vice-President, Namadi Sambo at the weekend urged the European Investment Bank (EIB) to partner with the Federal Government in the development of the country’s gas sector to boost energy supply for speedy industrial growth.

Sambo made the call when he received the Management team of EIB, led by its Vice President, Mr Walsh Patrick, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the call had become necessary in view of the fact that all the 10 on-going power projects across the country would be completed by 2012 and would become functional only when there was adequate gas supply.

“One major area, which even yesterday we had an extensive meeting with the Ministries of Power, Petroleum and the major oil companies, the IOCs, is the issue to address the local gas supply.

‘’I will like to inform that at the present moment, we are constructing 10 new thermal power plants and these plants are at about 80 to 90 per cent completion.

“Three of the plants are ready and are injecting power to the system, but gas is the big challenge.”

Sambo observed that the provision of gas for local use was a priority to government, as it was a major requirement for adequate power supply and production of fertilisers.

He said that the country had a robust Gas Master Plan meant to speedily develop the sector.

According to him, there are programmes in the Gas Master Plan to develop major gas processing centres, develop fields for additional gas and arrest gas flaring.

The Vice-President therefore, expressed delight over the confidence the bank placed on the Federal Government and its transformation agenda.

In his remark, the Vice President of the EIB, Mr Walsh Patrick, said the Bank’s management team was in the country to explore areas of economic cooperation between Nigeria and his company.