By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project has reached an overall progress of 67 per cent completion, three years since the project commenced in June 2021.
The project with a total contract value of $4.3 billion, aims to increase NLNG’s production capacity by 35 per cent, adding approximately 8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to its current capacity of 22 MTPA.
The facility at Bonny Island, the Nigeria LNG Limited’s production location in Rivers State, is being executed by a consortium of three international Engineering, Procurement and Construction, EPC, companies, including Saipem, Chiyodda and Daewoo, otherwise known as the SCD Consortium, led by Saipem.
The Nigeria LNG Limited revealed the project status in a statement signed by its General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr Andy Odeh, in which it reaffirmed its commitment to delivering economic benefits to Nigerians through the project.
The NLNG, in a statement, said its officials, who spoke at a reconvened session of the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Gas, provided necessary information and clarifications to address issues raised by the committee.
The agency confirmed that the project has reached an overall progress of 67 per cent completion, adding that it has achieved a significant construction milestone of over 45 million man-hours without any Lost Time Injury.
It was already delivering on one of its benefits with over 9,000 Nigerians working on the project at Bonny Island, and numerous indirect jobs and businesses emerging and booming as a result of the construction, the NLNG said.
NLNG equally emphasised that the Train-7 project was a strategic initiative that would support the diversification of the country’s revenue sources and revenue generation during the energy transition, and aid the country in achieving a net-zero future.
It noted that the project remained crucial for monetising Nigeria’s vast gas resources, estimated at over 200 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven reserves and it remains an inspiration to other gas development initiatives aimed at enhancing gas monetisation and utilisation in the country.
The company equally stressed the significance of the project to the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas initiative. It emphasised that the project is aligned with Nigeria’s gas development aspirations, as the outlined initiative is both timely and essential to secure the nation’s future, particularly as the global movement towards a net-zero future accelerates.
NLNG expressed its respect for the National Assembly and committed to collaborating with the legislature to transform Nigeria’s energy landscape.
It called on all stakeholders including the Federal Government and all well-meaning Nigerians to support the preservation of an enabling environment for its successful completion and the attraction of more transformational projects to Nigeria.