By Ediri Ejoh, Milan Italy

Nigeria LNG Limited, yesterday said the provision of cleaner alternative energy for the greater population of the country’s citizen is paramount to it’s operation.

According to NLNG’s Managing Director, Philip Mshelbia, the task of reducing carbon footprint in a country with huge energy deficit, begin with providing cleaner alternative energy sources for a population where depend on dirty fuels. 

He emphasize that energy transition does not have to be a huge leap, adding that getting out of dirty fuels and flare reduction are steps in the right direction. 

Nigeria he said has monetised over 60 per cent of flared gas through the firm’s different trains, thereby putting the country on the path of achieving its energy transition goals.

“Monetising associated gas has helped Nigeria to reduce flares, provide thought leadership on the decade of gas agenda and generate revenue for investment in critical infrastructure to improve the well being of the people,” he said.

Speaking on the sidelines of this year’s ongoing GASTECH exhibition and conference in Milan, Italy, Mshelbia, while speaking on “Concerted industry action on ending energy poverty”, added that in line with its goal, the company has equally committed to supplying 100 per cent of its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) production to the domestic market to support the growth of LPG utilisation in the country and help reduce the health, safety and environmental risks associated with the use of other domestic fuel sources.

He added that through the supply of LPG, NLNG prioritised the supply of clean energy in Nigeria while working collaboratively with the government to grow LPG consumption in Nigeria as part of the national journey to a clean energy future.

“We also expanded our capability in running our plants to generate electricity. We generate over 300MW of electricity to power our community on the Island from where we operate”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has cautioned foreign investment partners discriminatory investment against African countries.

According to him, Nigeria can only position to become a major gas supplier to Europe following the global energy crisis caused by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine with the support of foreign investment.

Speaking during a panel session on the topic: “Just Energy Transition for Developing Nations”, the Minister said funding of gas development at this point was a win-win for Europe and Africa.

“Today we are seeing gas being weaponised and every country will at least require some alternative supply.

“We believe that Europe needs this gas and it is a win-win for all of us and it is in their interest to reduce this discriminatory investments that their banks are doing.” 

Also speaking, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, said despite the global energy crisis, the investment opportunities for Africa, especially as regards LNG-to-power, remain enormous and yet untapped.

“NLNG exports our gas and they said the gas they produce is opened to all kinds of market including that of the LPG. We have not invested enough in utilizing LNG for power.

“The discussions have always been around investing in power plants that use natural gas, not liquefied natural gas. The potential for LNG to power is huge. If those investment are there and NLNG sees off-takers, they would sell. The business is to sell the LNG that is produced and not to keep them.

“Currently we have not explored the possibility which does exist in procuring LNG for power generation. Today, the only thing we off-take from NLNG is LPG, which is also part of the by-products. Most of the domestic LPG is produced by NLNG today; that informs their commitment to the domestic market. If there are investments in power plants that will utilize LNG for power, they would sell,” he said.

He added that “There is energy poverty and we need to harness what we have to be able to provide to the people. A democratically elected government has to listen to its people’s need and tackle the challenges. And if you have the resources to provide that energy, the best thing to do is to invest in that resources to make energy affordable and accessible to the people.”

On his part, Chief Executive Officer,  Lekoil, Lakan Akinyanmi, call for more investment to unlock the country’s gas potential.  

“We have an excellent showcase for Nigeria and NNPC showed up strong. Given current geopolitics, Nigeria has never been in a better position to address today’s most pressing global energy security issues.

“The focus cut across every part of the gas monetization value chain, to that extent, all the resources required are available and we have no option but to open up and act. The world is depending on us.

“For us, the opportunities are enormous and we are open and ready to play our part and monetize the country’s extensive gas resources,” he submitted.