The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL and TotalEnergies are working towards investing $550 million to develop a gas processing facility in Rivers State.
The aim is to boost exports and domestic supplies.
The investment according to reports would include a gas processing plant and a pipeline.
The report quoting an unarmed NNPCL source said an announcement would be made this week.
The gas processing facility will be built on the Ubeta onshore gas field, jointly owned by Total and NNPC, and will supply gas to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant.
When completed, the plant would generate 350 million standard cubic feet per day of gas and 10,000 barrels per day of associated liquids, said the source.
Nigeria, which holds Africa’s largest natural gas reserves of more than 200 trillion cubic feet, flares – or burns off – gas from its oil fields because it lacks processing infrastructure and faces capital constraints.
The latest investment could mean President Bola Tinubu’s bid to attract investment into Nigeria’s energy sector is beginning to succeed, analysts said.
“The government will hope this offers confidence not only in the quality of the Nigerian resource base, but also in the government’s pledge to improve ease of doing business,” Clementine Wallop, director, sub-Saharan Africa at political risk consultancy Horizon Engage, said.
Energy analysts say Nigeria has failed to increase its exports to the European Union after the bloc sought alternative supplies to make up for lost Russian imports because of the Ukraine war. Locally, Nigeria is struggling to feed its gas power plants that generate most of its grid electricity.
Seplat Energy Empowers Nigerian Media, Trains Energy/Judicial Editors
Uche Cecil Izuora
Seplat Energy Plc, has concluded the first phase of its training programme for journalists and media practitioners in Nigeria.
The first phase of the programme covers thirty-seven energy and judiciary correspondents cum editors.
The Seplat Energy media training programme, which was organised in partnership with Channels Academy, is targeted at building reporting and editing capacity in the media whilst driving innovation and technology progress in the profession.
Beyond core energy and judiciary reporting, the trainees were exposed to the intersections of law and energy, referencing regulatory frameworks, major legal cases, environmental laws, ethical considerations, and media objectivity.
In addition, modules on investigative reporting (techniques, advanced research methods, using public records, interviewing techniques); data Journalism in judicial and energy reporting; analysis of energy sector developments; and collaborative reporting projects with story ideas development, were explored.
Insights on legal challenges in energy reporting (understanding defamation, libel, navigating legal challenges) and the future of energy and law with regards to emerging trends, were provided as the training evaluated future legal challenges and the need to prepare for industry shifts.
In attendance at the training were media professionals from print, electronic and online platforms.
Commenting on the training, the Director, External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy, Mrs. Chioma Afe, thanked the media professionals, resource persons and Channels Academy for their commitments to the success of the training programme.
Mrs. Afe, who was represented by the Manager, Corporate Communications at Seplat Energy, Mr. Stanley Opara, re-echoed Seplat Energy’s commitment to building capacity in the media and promoting best practice in the industry.
“At Seplat Energy, we see the media as a critical stakeholder; and the best we can do to make the industry develop is to encourage excellence. We believe in value creation and retention for all our stakeholders; and today, we are honoured to be contributing our quota towards the advancement of the media in Nigeria,” he added.
Responding, the media professionals under the aegis of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) and the National Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC), thanked Seplat Energy for providing the training opportunity and driving excellence in the media space.
The journalists described the programme as timely and well thought out. They, therefore, urged other corporate organisations in the country to emulate Seplat Energy in the quest to grow the Nigerian media industry and boost the needed capacity.