NLNG boss decries Nigeria’s gas-rich but energy-poor status

The Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Tony Attah, has decried what he called Nigeria’s status as gas-rich but energy-poor, saying Nigeria must quickly transform to a gas-economy.

Attah also said the large deposit of gas resources in Nigeria would amount to nothing if the gas is not developed and utilised urgently to meet the nation’s energy needs.

Attah said this at the pre-summit conference of the 2021 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) organised by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and sponsored by NLNG.

He stated that it was necessary to act now on gas through deliberate policies such as the ‘Decade of Gas’. He added that the country must not continue to be gas-rich and energy-poor where our gas processing and LNG capacity do not match the volume of our gas reserves.

Attah, however, emphasised that the time for Nigeria to become a top gas nation is now when gas is playing a pivotal role in bridging traditional energy sources and renewable.

“Our world is changing. We are set to add two billion more people by 2040 to become 9 billion people on earth. On the back of this and anticipated growth in human prosperity, energy demand is expected to grow by more than 30 percent. Essentially the world needs more energy, but needs it cleaner and cheaper to manage climate change and the 20C challenge through decarbonisation.

Read Also: $500m financing available to capture flared gas but not many takers

“Energy transition has begun, resulting in a massive change in the global energy mix while renewable sources are gaining prominence to replace coal and other forms of fossil fuels.”

Gas is set to be the fastest-growing transition fuel of the future. This is a great opportunity for Nigeria. Nigeria is blessed with plenty gas reserves – 200TCF of proved reserve and an additional 600TCF scope to be proven by SEC rules.

“Proving the 600TCF will move us to number four in the world from the current 9th position which I believe should be a key objective for this decade of gas agenda. Essentially, Nigeria is a gas nation as we have more gas than oil on a BOE basis.

“Nigeria currently plays a significant role in the global energy sector, holding the position of the largest oil and gas producer in Africa and the sixth supplier of global LNG through the operations of NLNG. Our Train 7 project alone will attract about $10billion into the country with significant revenue generation for the government and our shareholders but also over 12,000 jobs opportunity for Nigerians.