Energy
NCDMB, Butane Energy, Boost LPG Supply With Commissioning Of Kaduna Plant
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Butane Energy Limited have taken a significant step forward in their collective drive to make liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a widely accessible, cleaner, and more cost-effective fuel option for cooking, with the commissioning of a 180-metric-tonne LPG Filling Plant in Kaduna, Kaduna State.
Commissioned on Friday, the Filling Plant, is the second after the 100MT LPG Storage and Bottling Plant in Kabukawa Layout, Katsina, Katsina State, in 2021, in keeping with a joint venture to establish five of such facilities in Northern Nigeria with a combined storage capacity of 1,000MT.
Biztellers reports that the Kano LPG Storage and Bottling Plant in Kano State is slated for commissioning in the first quarter of 2025, while construction work on another in Bauchi is at an advanced stage, with Abuja next in line.
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The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation of NCDMB, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, expressed satisfaction with the impressive strides of Butane Energy Ltd.
He pointed out that NCDMB was motivated to enter into equity partnership with the indigenous LPG storage, trading and marketing company after the latter presented “a [bankable] business plan aimed at enhancing gas penetration in northern Nigeria.”
He explained that the Board acted in line with its statutory mandate to catalyse in-country capacity development through equity funding.
NCDMD, he noted further, was also interested in job creation through such projects, as there were clear possibilities for employment into technical and managerial cadres as operations progressed.
According to him, no fewer than 200 Nigerians gained employment, and there was the added benefit of local content growth.
Equally significant to the NCDMB was the consideration that the project was in alignment with Federal Government’s expressed commitment to net-zero emissions by 2026, and the campaign for cleaner alternative to kerosene and firewood as cooking fuel.
In his own remarks, the Chairman, Butane Energy Ltd, Alhaji Isa Inuwa Muhammed, stated that NCDMB is a co-owner of the company, and expressed gratitude to the Management of the NCDMB for the confidence reposed in his company, particularly in its vision and business approach.
According to the Chairman, the relationship between the Board and Butane is based on trust, and that the success thus far would greatly reinforce the partnership.
Established in 2017 as a player in LPG storage and marketing, Butane Energy Ltd has massive distribution assets in northern Nigeria, and is deliberate in its corporate objective to make the fuel accessible to every part of the region.
The LPG Filling Plant is part of NCDMB’s strategic third-party investments aimed at supporting in-country capacity development, reducing reliance on traditional fuels, fostering sustainability and building a greener future for Nigeria.
As a direct implication of the Federal Government’s Foreign Direct Investment drive, the Royal Dutch Shell has completed the final investment decision on the deep offshore Bonga North project in Nigeria.
Biztellers reports that the Bonga North will be a subsea tie-back to the Shell-operated Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility which Shell operates with a 55% interest.
Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director, Zoë Yujnovich, said, “This is another significant investment, which will help us to maintain stable liquids production from our advantaged Upstream portfolio”.
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It was gathered that the Bonga North project involves drilling, completing, and starting up 16 wells (8 production and 8 water injection wells), modifications to the existing Bonga Main FPSO and the installation of new subsea hardware tied back to the FPSO.
The company is optimistic that the project will sustain oil and gas production at the Bonga facility.
The Bonga North currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and will reach a peak production of 110,000 barrels of oil a day, with first oil anticipated by the end of the decade.
In addition, the Bonga North will help ensure Shell’s leading Integrated Gas and Upstream business continues to drive cash generation into the next decade.
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), has received an award as “Energy company of the year (2024)” for its Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility accomplishments.
The award presented by the Nigerian News Direct newspaper, on Friday December 6, 2024, and was received by Manager Communications, Chevron Nigeria and Mid-Africa Business Unit, Victor Anyaegbudike, at a colourful event at the Grand Ballroom of the Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
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The organizers of the award noted that Chevron has implemented the “Protecting People and the Environment” policy, which aims at preventing injuries, illnesses, and environmental incidents. They also referenced that the company has achieved 97% gas flaring reduction in its operations in Nigeria, while implementing waste management and environmental conservation programs.
According to the media organization, Chevron Nigeria has also invested millions of dollars in community development programs, supporting education, health and economic development initiatives that have benefited thousands of people, while ensuring diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement in its business operations.
Receiving the award from the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, Anyaegbudike thanked the organizers for the honour, and reiterated Chevron’s commitment to continue to develop, affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy that enables human progress around the world.
The Shell Companies in Nigeria have restated commitment to supporting Nigerian businesses in the quest to grow local content for the domestic oil and gas industry.
The company made the assertion at the recent Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) forum in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and committed to doing this through contract awards and scaling up of expertise.
Biztellers reports that over 700 oil and gas entities participated in the 13th edition of the PNC Forum
The four-day conference with the theme “Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation” began today and will see the hosts, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and participating companies review progress on the development of Nigerian content pertaining to the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGICD) Act since it was enacted in 2010.
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The Shell companies in Nigeria were the forum with a strong message of support for Nigerian companies, having awarded contracts worth $1.98 billion to the businesses in 2023 in continuing effort to develop Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.
The contracts, awarded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), and Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) present a three percent increase from the 2022 performance of $1.92 billion.
Business Opportunity Manager for SNEPCo’s Bonga South-West Aparo Project, Olaposi Fadahunsi, representing SNEPCo Managing Director, Ron Adams, told participants at the opening of the forum that several benefitting companies had taken advantage of the patronage to expand their operations and improve their expertise and financial strength.
“Shell companies execute a large proportion of their activities through contracts with third parties, and Nigeria-registered companies have been key beneficiaries of this policy aimed at powering Nigeria’s progress,” Fadahunsi said. He commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for ensuring compliance with the Nigerian Content Act.
In addition to contract awards, Shell companies have implemented projects under the Human Capital Development Fund, including the Niger Delta University learning centre and digital library project and the Federal University of Technology Information Technology Hub. Both projects were inaugurated this year, in collaboration with SPDC Joint Venture partners – Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), TotalEnergies and Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC).
Other projects include the University of Lagos Geosciences Centre of Excellence, Nigeria Diving School and funding of ongoing research at the University of Ibadan to develop a synthetic-based drilling fluid.
The Shell Companies in Nigeria also continue to develop indigenous manpower through scholarship programmes with over 3,772 undergraduate and 109 Niger Delta post graduate scholarships since 2016.
Fadahunsi added: “As we speak, beneficiaries of the 13th edition of the Niger Delta Post Graduate Scholarship awards are pursuing their studies in the United Kingdom. The employability rate of the scheme is high with over 98% of the graduates who won the awards securing employment in the oil and gas industry, academia and Information Technology, among other sectors, within one year of completing their studies. Nigerian content will continue to be an important part of Shell operations.”
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