By Samuel OYADONGHA, YENAGOA

Conscious of the socioeconomic benefits that would accrue to their communities from the Royal Dutch Shell Mega Southern Swamp Associated Gas Gathering Plus Project, the host communities to the project spanning Bayelsa and Delta states have come together with a view to ensuring that the project does not suffer any hiccup during takeoff.

The Southern Swamp Associated Gas Gathering Plus Project and Forcados-Yokri field’s integrated project investment plan valued at $4billion is aligned with the federal government’s ambition to end gas flaring in Nigeria in the Niger Delta.

The Southern Swamp Associated Gas Gathering Plus Project is set to collect associated gas and reduce flaring and also producing gas for power generation, with a processing capacity of 85,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent.

SweetCrude learnt that the project will gather some 120 – 200MMscf/d of associated gas from  four [4] existing flowstations (Tunu, Opukushi, Ogbotobo and Benisede) and some new developments as Seibou, Angalalei and Odon, in the South Forcados Area of Southern Swamp operational area of Shell’s Western Division.

The gas will be dehydrated and compressed at a new Central Processing Facility, CPF (located at Tunu) to be exported via an offshore pipeline system to feed the 3rd train of Nigerian LNG plant located in Bonny, it was further learnt.

It was therefore not surprising when the representatives of the host communities to the project, recently converged in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, formed a Central Co-ordinating Committee and pledged their readiness to support the oil major and its contractors in ensuring the peaceful execution and completion of the project.

The representatives were drawn from Egbemo-Angalabiri, Agbidiama, Ojobo, Agbayama, Peretorugbene, Tamogbene, Norgbene, Amabolu and Oweigbene in the Ekeremor council area of Bayelsa State and Burutu council area of Delta State.

Assuring the oil giant of the communities support, Secretary, Central Co-ordinating Committee for the Southern Swamp Associated Gas Gathering Plus Project communities, Moses Edougha declared, “We, the host communities to the Southern Swamp Gas Gathering Solution Plus Project do appreciate SPDC for this project which has great economic and social benefits to our communities, local government areas, the states government and the nation.”

According to him, “the central coordinating committee will stick out its neck in collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure a hitch free and environmental friendly relationship throughout the execution of the project.

“We want to draw reference from the Soku Gas Gathering Project, the Gbarain Ubie Gas Project and the Odidi Associated Gas Project which were all completed successfully within the Niger Delta region.

“The communities involved in this project are among the most peaceful communities that had sustained production activities in SPDC Western Division operation since the company re-entry in the area.”

The communities however called on the management of SPDC and its contractors to ensure ethical business principles of transparency throughout the execution of the project with a view to ensuring they enjoy maximum benefit from it.

The Secretary, Central Coordinating Committee for the Southern Swamp Associated Gas Gathering Plus Project communities, Moses Edougha urged the company to make public the environmental impact assessment report of the project.