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SPDC, Journalists Partner On Pipelines’ Protection

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12 years ago

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Crude oil theft and
pipeline vandalism have remained two notorious factors militating against the desire for high productivity and target actualization in the Nigerian Oil and gas sector; with both accounting for billions of dollars loss to the Federal Government and the International Oil Companies (IOCs), annually.
However, last Tuesday  one of the oil multinationals, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC)  drew the attention of media men to massive encroachment on its pipeline right of way at Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Infact, SPDC manager in charge of pipeline operations, Wenike Princewill lamented that over one hundred such structures were recorded in Oyigbo alone.
The Shell Manager emphasized that about 40 million barrels per day were lost when the company had to shut down operation of its Gas plant in the Oyigbo area due to the enchroachment.
He expressed worry that people live in the houses within the dangerous zone to the pipeline not knowing they were sitting on time bomb. “The pipe contains hydrocharbon which is inflammable as it could result in an explosion and fire”, he said.
A retired primary school teacher, Mrs Chidinma Nkwocha who lives in Oyigbo said some 15 years ago, land in the area was very cheap and people were rushing from different parts of the state and beyond to acquire and develop.
“The pillars were there quite well but they did not care because of the low rate of parcel of land there”, Nkwocha stated disclosing that some of her friends fell prey to dubious elements who were busing selling land they don’t know.
Oyigbo is a sub-urban city close to Port Harcourt, observers said high cost of land in Port Harcourt might have made people to be attracted to Oyigbo due to the closeness especially as land was very scarce in Port Harcourt City.
However, the hard reality owners of the structures would have to face is to loose such property since owning them is illegal.
Or would they choose to remain there and get consumed with their property and family members when devil’s appointed time comes?
One worrisome revelation is that some of the property were also owned by influential persons in the government who should have desuaded others. Presumably, their presence could have encouraged the ordinary members of the society to acquire such illegal spaces.
The Ministry of Ubrban Development and relevant agencies, definitely do not have to wait anymore but to commence steps that could correct the anomalies. The so much delay in taking action or rather, in action contributed to the compounded situation.
Such inactions by the appropriate government agencies have largely encouraged enchrochment in diverse ways. Take for instance, the public roads, it took courage in the part of the present government to demolish houses built in total disregard to law guiding right of way.
The various Committees in the National Assembly, also have responsibility and should be part of the campaign.
SPDC Manager, Government and Community Relations said the company remain committed to addressing social and developmental challenges affecting the communities in which they operate and solicited for the collaboration of the media in the campaign against encroachment into the company’s facilities.
It was resolved that authorities of the company should increase their sensitization programme on the issue and also localise it so that the ordinary people in the remote areas particularly the company’s host communities could get the awareness.
Regular gingles in the mass media on the campaign message would also help in educating the people on the danger of encroaching on such dangerous zone as pipeline.
Those who sold the land that does not belong to them may as well be called to question at least to defend their actions, they may as well face prosecution.
The impact of oil theft, vandalism of pipelines and the new challenge of encroachment of pipeline right of ways are scaring enough.
Though the company denied that its divestment onshore in preference to more investment offshore may obviously be linked to the increasing challenges be develling its operations in the country.
SPDC Manager, Government and Community Relations, Fufeyin Funkakpo reiterated the commitment of the company to issues of community development stressing that loss incurred by the company in shutting down its facilities due to sabotage invariably affects the economy of the action and its capacity to increase it commitment to community development.
The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Rivers State, Mr. Opaka Dokubo commended SPDC for the senminar noting that it has increased their knowledge of the operations.
Dokubo who was represented by the Vice Chairman of the State NUJ, Mr. Omoni Ayo-Tamuno, particularly commended SPDC for the medical test, treatment and health lecture saying it would benefit the journalists greatly.

 

Chris Oluoh

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Global Coal Consumption Hits Record Even As Coal Power Declines

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2 weeks ago

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August 3, 2026

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Global coal consumption reached another record in 2025, seemingly contradicting years of discussion about phasing out the world’s most carbon-intensive fossil fuel.
But the headline number does not tell the whole story.
The latest Statistical Review of World Energy shows that global coal consumption rose to 166.0 exajoules last year. That represented an increase of 0.7% from 2024.
At the same time, global electricity generation from coal declined. Coal-fired power production fell 0.3% to 10,511 terawatt-hours.
Those two trends are not mutually exclusive. Coal is used not only to generate electricity, but also in steelmaking, cement production, and other industrial processes. The divergence also reflects a changing geographic picture in which coal is declining across much of the developed world while remaining deeply embedded in Asia’s industrial economy.
A Record With Important Qualifications
Coal consumption reached a record in absolute terms, but it did not keep pace with overall energy demand.
Total global energy supply increased from 592.2 exajoules in 2024 to 600.3 exajoules in 2025, an increase of about 1.4%. Coal grew more slowly, so its share of the global energy mix slipped from 27.9% to 27.7%. Thus, despite the global record in coal consumption, coal lost a small amount of market share.
This pattern appears frequently during energy transitions. A fuel can continue growing in absolute terms even as faster-growing alternatives reduce its share of the total. With global energy demand still rising, losing market share does not necessarily mean declining consumption.
Renewable energy provides a relevant comparison. Renewable energy supply increased by nearly 10% in 2025, far outpacing coal. But the world’s appetite for energy was large enough to accommodate growth in renewables and another record for coal at the same time.
Coal Is Increasingly an Asian Fuel
The most striking feature of the coal market is its geographic concentration.
Asia Pacific consumed 138.1 exajoules of coal in 2025, accounting for 83.2% of the global total. China alone consumed 92.2 exajoules, or 55.6% of all the coal used in the world.
India contributed another 23.1 exajoules, representing 13.9% of global consumption. Together, China and India accounted for almost 70% of the world’s coal use. Add Indonesia, and the three countries consumed nearly 73% of the total.
This is why broad statements about a global coal phaseout can be misleading. Coal may be steadily retreating in Europe and North America, but its future is increasingly being determined in Asia.
Non-OECD countries accounted for 85.2% of global coal consumption in 2025. Their coal use has grown at an average annual rate of 1.9% over the past decade. OECD consumption, by contrast, has declined at an annual rate of 4.8%.
Europe consumed just 4.4% of the world’s coal last year. The European Union’s share was only 2.8%, following another 3.2% decline in consumption.
The global total therefore combines two very different stories. One is a long-term retreat from coal across much of the developed world. The other is coal’s continued importance to the large and growing economies of Asia.
One surprise in the 2025 data is that coal-fired electricity generation declined even as total coal consumption increased.
China generated 5,756 terawatt-hours of electricity from coal, down 1.1% from 2024. India’s coal generation fell 3.0% to 1,464 terawatt-hours. Since those two countries produce nearly 69% of the world’s coal-fired electricity, relatively small percentage declines can have a large effect on the global total.
Coal generation across Asia Pacific declined 1.2%, while Europe posted another 3.4% decrease. The European Union’s coal generation fell 3.6% and accounted for only 2.6% of the global total.
The divergence between consumption and power generation indicates that coal demand outside the electric power sector helped support the record. Coal consumption statistics include industrial uses that are not captured by electricity-generation totals. Changes in plant efficiency, coal quality, inventories, and measurement can also prevent the two series from moving in perfect alignment.
Whatever the precise combination, the result is notable. The world consumed a record amount of coal while producing less electricity from it.
The United States broke sharply with the broader developed-world trend in 2025.
U.S. coal consumption rose 10.4% to 8.7 exajoules. Coal-fired electricity generation jumped 13.1% to 804 terawatt-hours, while domestic coal production increased 4.4%.
In absolute terms, the increase in U.S. coal consumption was larger than the net increase for the entire world. U.S. consumption rose by about 0.8 exajoules, while the global total increased by roughly 0.7 exajoules. Declines in several other countries offset part of the American increase.
Still, this should not be mistaken for a return to coal’s former dominance in the United States.
U.S. coal consumption remains about 62% below its 2005 peak. Coal-fired generation is approximately 63% below its 2007 high, and production is about 54% below its 1998 peak.
The 2025 increase was substantial, but it occurred within a long-term structural decline. The United States still accounted for just 5.3% of global coal consumption and 7.7% of global coal-fired generation.
Global coal production remained near record levels at 180.8 exajoules, but it was essentially flat in 2025.
China increased production by 1.7% and supplied 52.4% of the world total. Its coal consumption was nearly unchanged, but its imports fell 10.1%. The combination suggests that increased domestic production displaced a meaningful amount of imported coal.
That shift helped push global coal trade down 3.1% to 35.3 exajoules. Indonesia, the world’s largest exporter, saw exports fall 7.4%. U.S. exports declined 11.5%, while Colombian exports plunged 21.3%.
Thus, record global consumption did not translate into record international trade. Much of the world’s coal is produced and consumed within the same countries, especially China and India.
The 2025 data support neither the claim that coal is disappearing nor the claim that the energy transition has stopped.
Coal use reached a record, but its share of global energy declined. Coal-fired electricity generation fell, but industrial and other uses kept total consumption elevated. Coal rebounded sharply in the United States but remained far below its historical peak. Europe continued to move away from coal, while Asia accounted for more than four-fifths of global demand.
The coal market is no longer one unified global story. It is a widening divide between countries that are steadily reducing their dependence on coal and countries where it remains central to electricity, industry, and economic development.
That divide is likely to continue defining the coal market for many years.
By Robert Rapier
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Oil & Energy

FG To Stop Electricity Subsidy Payments From 2027

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2 weeks ago

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August 3, 2026

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The Federal Government has announced plans to end electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to tackle mounting liabilities in the power sector.
 Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at a media interactive session , in Abuja, at the weekend.
Tegbe said  the Federal Government would phase out subsidies beginning from 2027, assuring Nigerians  the policy would not deprive citizens of the benefits currently enjoyed under the subsidy regime.
According to him, the proposed removal forms part of broader reforms aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the electricity sector while tackling the financial challenges confronting the industry.
Tegbe explained that despite the planned subsidy withdrawal, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs, reassuring consumers that the government is not considering a tariff hike in the short term.
“The phase-out of electricity subsidies will begin from 2027. However, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs. Our goal is to build a commercially viable power sector while protecting vulnerable consumers.
“The Power Consumer Assistance Fund will play a critical role in cushioning the impact on vulnerable consumers as we implement these reforms,” the minister stated.
He pointed out that  implementation timeline and consumer protection measures would be unveiled as the reform process progresses, emphasizing that Nigeria’s electricity subsidy has remained a major fiscal burden.
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Firm unveils New Products For Oil Facilities 

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2 weeks ago

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August 3, 2026

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An oil servicing firm, Solewant Group, has unveiled protective coatings and paints to secure oil facilities.
The products, manufactured at its new plant, sited in Alode Eleme, Rivers State, comprise of paints and coating that aid durability of oil facilities.
The products included the Solguard Architectural Coatings range comprising emulsion, matt and silk paints; Solguard Industrial Protective Coatings, featuring red oxide metal primer and alkyd gloss enamel; Solguard Heavy-Duty Protective Systems, including zinc-rich epoxy primer, high-build epoxy coat and acrylic polyurethane; and the flagship Novaguard Premium Specialty Coatings, made up of 100 per cent solid epoxy, polyurethane and polyurea systems for heavy industrial applications.
Unveiling the paints, at the weekend, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources(Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the products as innovative and pledged  the federal government’s support  to indigenous companies.
Lokpobiri described Solewant’s products as milestone in Nigeria’s industrialisation drive and local content development.
“This is clear evidence of the growth, which shows that local service providers in Nigeria have developed over the past 15 years.
“I’m very happy today that I have the privilege to witness this plant that will not just service Nigeria, but will service the entire African continent”, the minister said.
Lokpobiri praised Solewant’s expansion into Namibia, saying it marked the beginning of broader opportunities for Nigerian companies across Africa’s energy sector.
“We are fully committed to supporting companies like Solewant Group. That is the only way we can grow this industry.
“The solution to Nigeria’s energy problem lies with Nigerians. Nobody will come from anywhere to solve our problems in Africa”, he said.
He noted that the company’s new manufacturing capability would help address one of Nigeria’s biggest oil production challenges by providing locally manufactured protective coating solutions for ageing pipelines.
“Our pipes are completely corroded, and we need solutions that Solewant is providing to address that problem. What you have done here is a Nigerian solution to the Nigerian problem”, he said.
Speaking at the occasion, Solewant Group Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Ewanehi, said the investment was driven by the vision of ending Nigeria’s dependence on imported industrial coatings while building globally competitive manufacturing capacity.
In his words, “today we are not just launching the Solewant Coating Manufacturing Plant. We are launching confidence; confidence that Nigeria has the competence, the capacity and the courage to manufacture not just what we consume but also what we can export to compete with international standards.”
Ewanehi explained that the company unveiled 11 enhanced coating products under the Solguard and Novaguard brands, developed and manufactured in Nigeria for the oil and gas, marine, infrastructure and industrial sectors.
“Sixteen years ago, we asked a simple question: Why should Nigeria, a leading oil and gas nation, continue to import the very coatings that protect our critical assets?
“Today, that vision has become steel, concrete, plant and people”, he stated.
According to him, the products were designed to deliver world-class corrosion protection for pipelines, offshore platforms, refineries, storage tanks, bridges, power plants and other critical infrastructure operating in harsh environments.
Also speaking,  Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, described the project as “a powerful statement of confidence in Nigeria” and applauded Solewant for expanding local manufacturing despite ongoing economic reforms.
Represented by the his Special Adviser on Technical Matters, Prof Bolaji Babatunde, Akume said “your  decision to expand manufacturing capability, develop technology and create value within Nigeria is a commendable example of the kind of private sector leadership that the Federal Government seeks to encourage me”.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, represented by his Chief of Staff, Barr. Sunny Ewuhle, also commended the company for choosing Rivers State as its industrial base.
“We are calling on all local and foreign investors to emulate what Solewant Group has done in Rivers State,” he said, pledging the state’s support for manufacturing, local content development and industrial growth.
Namibia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, H.E. Walde Natangwe Ndavishiya, described the investment as timely, saying Solewant was well positioned to support Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry.
“I particularly commend Solewant Group for taking the bold step of establishing a branch office in Namibia. This demonstrates confidence in Namibia and its emerging opportunities,” he stated.
By: Kevin Nengia
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