W’African Gas Pipeline supply scheme gets boost with discoveries in Lagos offshore
The federal government has said that relative peace in the Niger Delta region, coupled with new discoveries of gas resources in Lagos offshore will boost West African Gas Pipeline supplies in the long run.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who disclosed these at the West African Gas Pipeline Project’s Committee of Ministers’ Meeting in Abuja, said Nigeria, along with the partner countries, had nurtured the WAGP project and we are looking at further addressing the challenges that had hindered the achievement of their set targets.
Kachukwu averred that “I am pleased to be able to welcome you all at a point when the Niger Delta is stable and gas supply from Nigeria is becoming more assured, and when more gas resources are was discovered offshore Lagos, which could present more option of gas supply to the West African Gas Pipeline project”.
According to him, the WAGP project was being celebrated all over the continent as the flagship project for the New Partnership for African Development, and called for the sustainability of the project through the cooperation of all parties.
Earlier in his presentation, the Managing Director, West African Gas Pipeline Company, Walter Perez, said although significant improvement had been recorded over the years in the firm, the collective effort of the committee was still required to attain the promise for further regional integration.
Perez said, “However, the situation has significantly improved as a result of the work completed by WAPCo in 2018 to upgrade our compressor station in Nigeria to operate at reduced pressures. As a result of this, we have been able to demonstrate the capability to transport over 85 million BTU per day.
“In addition, this upgrade has allowed us to be more consistent in delivering gas to our customers despite variations in pressure at Itoki. With the imminent completion of critical infrastructure projects in Nigeria, it is our hope and prayer that force majeure will be lifted or the foundation value chain contracts restructured so that it will no longer be necessary to operate on a best endeavours basis,” WAPCo boss noted.
