Construction work is said to have begun at the $3.6 billion Shell Petroleum Development Company’s (SPDC’s) major Gas plant project at Assa North – Ohaji South in Imo State.
Meanwhile, Shell Petroleum, the owner of the multi-billion dollar gas plant, and Bortir International Company Limited, a subsidiary at the Dangote group of companies have opened a partnership deal on utilization of gas from the project.
On Tuesday both companies led by Walter Weilenger, project manager, Shell and Ahmed S. Yakassai of the Dangote group, inspected the project site at Ohaji Local Government Area of the state.
BusinessDay checks indicate that the major gas plant is sited on 200 hectares of land provided by Imo State, which was according to a request in June 2012 by the Managing Director of Shell, Mutiu Sunmonu.
Sunmonu had appealed to Governor Rochas Okorocha for the state to provide the land as part of its collaboration for the project, expected to be commissioned in 2018, beginning with the phase one.
On its part, the Imo State Government has assured Shell Petroleum Development Company and Borkir International Company Limited (a subsidiary at Dangote Group), of its guarantee of security and cooperation to ensure the project took-off and functioned effectively.
“As you come to Imo, we would like to partner with you. We have set up a committee to liaise with Shell on the development of Assa Gas Plant. Imo Government is solidly behind you,” Okorocha said.
In his speech, Walter Weilenger, project manager of the Assa North-Ohaji South Gas Plant project, Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, thanked the state government for a warm welcome; and assured that the project would bring a lot of benefits to the people of Imo State.
In June 2012, Sunmonu, Shell MD had said the gas plant would supply domestic gas to power energy plants across the country as well as generate massive job opportunities for Nigerians, adding that the project which would be executed in two phases will be completed in 2018.
While soliciting the collaboration of the state government in handling of the project, he urged the government to play its part by providing 200 hectares of land for the project, including an enabling environment for the expatriates and workers to ensure a healthy collaboration between SPDC and the host communities.
Sunmonu then promised that his company would always live up to expectation in the area of its Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) in the course of executing the project.
BEN EGUZOZIE
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