The federal government has commissioned Nigeria’s first modular Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) extraction plant and a 20-megawatt gas-to-power project at the Otakikpo field in Rivers State.
The projects were commissioned by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, as disclosed in a post on his official X account.
The projects were developed by Green Energy and Lekoil Joint Venture (JV), marking a significant milestone in the country’s gas sector.
Before the official commissioning, the JV management led the minister on a tour of key facilities, including the power plant, LPG extraction plant, Early Production Facility (EPF), and a land terminal – the first to be built by an independent company in Nigeria.
Commending the JV for its efficient execution of the projects, Ekpo highlighted the strategic use of local resources and the importance of community collaboration. He also acknowledged the peaceful coexistence between the host communities, traditional rulers, and the operating companies, which contributed to the timely completion of the projects.
“These projects will create opportunities for a robust gas economy, provide electricity for the communities, create jobs for youths, and offer other benefits aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the country,” Ekpo added.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by key government officials, including the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Nicholas Agbo Ella. They were received by the JV’s leadership, comprising Prof. Anthony Adegbulugbe, Chairman of Green Energy International, and Mr. Olalekan Akinyanmi, Chief Executive Officer of Lekoil.
The newly inaugurated projects are expected to boost Nigeria’s domestic gas utilization, enhance energy access, and contribute to economic growth in the region.
What you should know
The Federal Government has repeatedly expressed commitment to improve gas utilization for domestic use, mobility, and industrialization in Nigeria, particularly through the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi)
- Nairametrics reported that PCNGi has invested over $450 million in expanding CNG use in the country. According to the Project Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PCNGi, Michael Oluwagbemi, the investment spans critical areas of the CNG infrastructure, including the establishment of mother stations, daughter stations, refueling stations, and conversion centers across the country.
- The federal government also pledged to increase the pace of citizens’ access to clean cooking from an initially proposed trajectory of 22 percent per year to 25 percent annually. Meanwhile, only 27 percent of Nigeria’s 200 million-plus population have access to clean cooking, this means that approximately 150 million Nigerians rely on the use of traditional biomass for cooking, especially firewood and charcoal for cooking.
