FG pledges 5bn cubic feet of gas supply to domestic, export markets

The Federal Government has pledged five billion cubic feet of gas per day to domestic and export markets.

Persecondnews reports that with this, countries like Benin, Togo, and Ghana will keep getting consistent gas supply from Nigeria to meet their domestic energy needs.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this at the just concluded West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) Authority Committee of Ministers (COM) meeting in Cotonou, Benin Republic, while speaking on “Nigeria’s Decade of Gas Initiative.”

According to the minister, the initiative will ensure a continuous supply of reliable gas to WAGP through the N-Gas Limited which aims to develop and commercialize over 5 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of gas for both domestic usage and export markets

He also disclosed the Nigerian Gas Expansion Program (NGEP) as well as the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative will take Nigeria from an oil-based economy to a gas-based economy.

To ensure a consistent and reliable supply of gas to the WAGP through N-Gas Limited, the minister reaffirmed the commitment to commercializing Eastern gas resources.

Ekpo noted that the West African gas pipeline system had helped the Nigerian government’s commitment to fostering unity within the West African sub-region and ensuring energy stability.

He said Nigeria’s current focus on gas as a primary fuel source and ongoing initiatives are aimed at maximizing the country’s vast natural gas resources.

Persecondnews recalls that Ekpo had recently scheduled that the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project would be completed in 2024.

The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project is a critical infrastructure that spans across 5,600 kilometers, cutting across 13 African countries.

The countries are Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, the Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.

On completion, it will transport gas from Nigeria to West African nations, linking through Morocco and extending to Europe.

In September 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), had highlighted multiple advantages of the pipeline project, emphasizing its potential to create wealth, elevate living standards, boost regional economic integration, combat desertification, and notably reduce carbon emissions.