Obiano Signs N18.5bn Natural Gas Deal For Industrialisation

The Anambra state Gov
ernment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Falcon Corporation, a foreign firm for the distribution of natural gas in the state.
Senior Special Adviser to Gov. Willie Obiano on Oil and Gas, Ms Ngozi Okoye,  made the disclosure  in Awka on Thursday at a news conference on activities in the sector in the past one year.
Okoye, said the gas project which was worth about N18.5 billion would facilitate the growth and further development of industrial clusters in the state.
She assured also that the 20,000 bpd capacity of Orient refinery cited at Umuleri/Nsugbe, a joint venture of the Anambra Government and Orient Petroleum could still be delivered at the end of the year.
Okoye, also secretary to the state committee on oil and Gas, said the construction of a pipeline from the refinery to the proposed airport for dispensing of aviation fuel was ongoing.
“A dual carriage road to the airport has already been flagged off by His Excellency and is nearing completion,” she said.
Okoye said the government through the committee was actively involved in the plan to establish a Petrochemical Plant in the state.
“If completed, the plant will have a 400 million standard cubic feet of gas per day extraction capacity and be able to produce 2,200 tons per day of mixed Nitro-Gas liquids.
“It will also yield a 4,000 tons per day of Methanol, 2,300 tons per day of Ammonia Urea (fertilizer), 1,400 tons per day of Acetic Acid, 150 tons per day of Formaldehyde and 6,200 tons per day of portable water,’’ she said.
She further said that the state now boasted of 13 existing viable oil blocks in the state.
They are OPLs 228, 280, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 914, 915, 916, and 917, Okoye said.
She said most oil production activities in the state were concentrated in the Anambra Basin, with OPLs 915 & 916 that had an estimated reserve of 193 million bbls Oil/Condensate and 30 TCF of Gas (owned by Orient Petroleum) witnessing the most activity.
The governor’s aide, who restated Obiano’s determination to make Anambra industry-driven, noted that the government had proposed a cargo airport to handle international cargo as well as domestic passenger flights.