Nigeria may soon begin to supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire which has indicated its intention to enter into trade relationship with Nigeria on LNG.
Cote d’Ivoire’s latest intention was on Thursday disclosed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which said the development was a positive one in Nigeria’s move to seek broader frontiers for its LNG away from the traditional Asian-pacific hub.
NNPC in a statement conveying the development, also noted that it was the first of its kind and good for Nigeria’s sub-regional push to market its LNG. Cote d’Ivoire, it said, will procure LNG supplies from Nigeria to support of its growing power needs.
In a statement signed by NNPC’s Group General Manager Public Affairs Division, Ohi Alegbe, in Abuja yesterday, explained that the package would see Nigeria commit a small chunk of its daily LNG output which stands at over three billion cubic feet of gas per day, to its sub-regional neighbours in the first instance before the eventual extension of the West Africa Gas Pipeline to Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal.
Ohi stated that a delegation from the Ivorien Ministry of Energy, led by one if officials, Kone Moussa was at the NNPC Towers to state their intentions. They said that their country would be relying on structural diversion of LNG cargoes from Nigeria as a starter within the next few months to tackle their growing energy needs.
Moussa informed that the country has already entered into a working relationship with Sahara Energy to drive the process.
The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Joseph Dawha, who received the delegation, stated that the corporation would be ready to cash in on the opportunity in line with its overall strategic expansion drive for Nigeria’s LNG market.
Dawha’s perspective was equally echoed by Dr. David Ige, Group Executive Director, Gas and Power of the corporation, who emphasised that the move would help broaden the supply base.
Ige said: “At the moment, the entire West African sub-region starting from Nigeria is undergoing phenomenal economic growth and that practically translates into a higher demand for energy.
As you know, the West African Gas pipeline terminates in Ghana, so Cote d’Ivoire has come to request that we bring gas to them in the first instance by LNG and ultimately in the future by extension of the pipeline.”
He further noted that apart from offering a strategic opportunity for NNPC and Nigeria, the project is in line with the spirit of the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) and would serve the mutual growth of ECOWAS member countries by fostering the economic integration of the West Africa’s corridor.
“What this means is that in future we don’t have to go as far as Europe or Asia to supply LNG when we can do so next door,” he said.
The statement also said a delegation from Ghana led by the Minister of Power, Kwabena Donkor, was earlier at the NNPC Towers to seek support on recent unintended gas supply disruptions in the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) grid.
Ige promised that the NNPC was working aggressively with all other partners in the WAGP to restore supply disruptions wrought by extraneous factors. “It has been a very difficult time not only for Ghana but for Nigeria as well because of the disruptions in pipelines.
“But I believe and strongly too that the various interventions that are ongoing by the Federal Government would help restore as well as grow the reliability of the WAGP,” he said.
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