Why Nigeria should concentrate on power generation through gas – Attah

Wed, Sep 30, 2020
By editor
2 MIN READ

Oil & Gas

By Anayo Ezugwu

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, has said that the current drive of the federal government through the National Gas Policy will ensure that natural gas is harnessed to address the crippling power sector amongst others. Tony Attah, chief executive officer, NLNG, says that availability of sustainable power will drive other sectors of the economy and boost the gross domestic product, GDP.

Speaking in a live interview conducted by Frank Aigbogun, Publisher of BusinessDay, during the BusinessDay Annual Energy Series, Attah said a typical example was the establishment of the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, scheme. He noted that natural gas can be used for a variety of industrial processes like space heating, raising of steam via boilers, furnace operations, etc.

“Natural gas can be used for production of Polyethylene and Polypropylene products. The Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited, IEPL, formerly known as Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited, EPCL, is an active player in this segment. Natural gas is used as chemical feedstock for fertilizer and methanol production. This can be a catalyst for growth in the agro-industries.

“Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, is used as fuel for Natural Gas Vehicles, NGV, like forklifts, cars and buses. It is especially attractive to organizations that operate large fleets of vehicles, enabling them to enjoy considerable economies of scale. The Dangote trucks are examples of vehicles being retrofitted to use CNG as fuel. This will also significantly reduce the carbon foot print since gas is much cleaner than PMS or AGO,” he said.

According to Attah, the federal government has taken some positive steps to make doing business in Nigeria easier. “Among these steps include issuance of Visa on Arrival, changes in processes of registration of companies and the update to the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

“Furthermore, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has expressed interest in unlocking the potential in the sector with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill and even declaring the year 2020 as the year of gas. In turn, this will have a salubrious effect on other sectors of the economy.”

– Sept. 35, 2020 @ 13:15 GMT |

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