At last, the final investment decision (FID) of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project was reached in Abuja Friday, December 27, 2019. This is insiders say 12,000 jobs may be available in the oil region as spin off from the projected expected to gulp over $10Bn in five years.
A statement by the NLNG at noon Friday affirmed that upon completion, Train 7 would increase NLNG’s production by 35 per cent and would boost its competitiveness in the global LNG market.
The statement also said the FID allows the expansion to increase the capacity of NLNG’s six-train plant from the extant 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA, with the award of contracts for the engineering, procurement and construction activities to follow the closure of bank and Export Credit Agency (ECA) financing.
It would also lead to the finalization of some key supporting commercial agreements expected in early 2020. “The actualisation of the Train 7 Project comes as NLNG celebrates 30 years of its incorporation and 20 years of safe and reliable operations since exporting its first LNG cargo in 1999. “
NLNG is an incorporated Joint-Venture owned by four Shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49%), Shell Gas B.V (25.6%), Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France (15%), and Eni International N.A. N.V. S.àr.l (10.4%).
Read also: NLNG Train 7 FID: Laying a solid foundation for economic development of Nigeria
According to Tony Attah, the managing director/CEO of NLNG, “Train 7 is the crux of a growth agenda which will ensure the Company’s position as the 5th major supplier of global LNG is maintained, increasing value to its Shareholders and other stakeholders, as well as further reducing the gas that would otherwise have been flared, in fulfillment of its vision of ‘being a global company, helping to build a better Nigeria’”.
Attah further revealed the import of the FID, saying over 12, 000 jobs would be created during the peak of construction. He affirmed that trade and commercial activities within the Niger Delta region would equally receive a boost as a result. “The Project will also support the development of local engineering and fabrication capacity in the country. Other opportunities for local content include procurement, logistics, equipment leasing, insurance, hotels, office supplies, aviation, haulage, and many more.”
The Company further remarked that the project upon completion would support the Federal Government’s drive to diversify its revenue portfolio and generate more revenue from Nigeria’s proven gas reserves of about 200 Trillion Cubic Feet (Tcf).
The construction period after FID will last approximately five years with first LNG rundown expected in 2024.
