Delta State Government has expressed its readiness to partner with South Africa firm to harness the more than 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the state.
The State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa made this disclosure when the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, led the management team of LNG Technology and IDC groups to pay him a courtesy call in Asaba on Monday, September 5, 2016.
Okowa said the investment was part of the diversification of the state’s economy away from dependence on federation account.
He assured investors of his commitment to diversify the state’s economy order to speed up the prosperity agenda of his administration.
He noted that with the natural gas that abounds in the three senatorial districts of the state, efforts would be made to reduce gas flaring with its attendant health and environment hazards.
“Delta State is a gas rich state with proven reserve of 25 trillion cubic feet; private sector partnership will be beneficial to all of us, as gas is a cleaner and cheaper form of energy, we will link up with the Minister of State for Petroleum on this and work out a beneficial public private partnership.”
“It is unfortunate that we still flare associated gas in the country, Delta State has the very high amount of natural gas deposits in the three Senatorial Districts, I believe partnership in that area will be a win-win situation because, our natural gas is yet untapped and this may be a way out of the global energy challenge,” he said.
The governor added that many South African companies have shown commitments towards investing in the agricultural, health and now energy sectors of the state.
While thanking the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria for encouraging South African investors to invest in Delta State, he assured that the state government will cooperate with the investors and provide an enabling environment for the investments to thrive.
Earlier, Lulu Mnguni, the South African High Commissioner informed the governor that they were in the state to explore ways to help diversify the state’s economy and seek for useful partnership that would be beneficial to both Nigeria and South Africa.
In his address, Zazi Diadia, the CEO, LNG Technology, explained that the company wants to explore ways of utilising the huge gas deposits in the state for energy generation and to power transportation.
He added that an export terminal would be built to transport some of the gas to generate revenue for the country.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH/MERCY ENOCH
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