The Shell companies in Nigeria and staff won awards in recognition of their robust participation at the 42^nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), held in Lagos.

At the closing dinner of the event, the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Ronald Adams pledged sustained efforts by the company to address “the Nigerian energy trilemma by powering progress towards energy security in a sustainable manner”.

On the awards, the Shell was declared Best Overall Exhibitor and Best Exhibiting Energy company (International) just as Geophysicist Somime Oguntola took home the Award of Excellence for Oral Paper (second place).

The icing on the cake was a Shell staff, Johnbosco Uche, being installed as the new President of the NAPE.

It was gathered that the Shell companies in Nigeria have supported NAPE since its founding in 1975, using the skills and expertise of the large pool of energy professionals in its employment to improve its activities especially educational and mentoring programmes.

In addition to being a major sponsor of the 2024 conference, Shell mounted a high-profile exhibition, featuring among other things, career counselling, engagements on Nigerian Content and Contractor development and panel sessions on Women in Industry and Sustainability Energy Challenge.

A highlight was the Shell medical stand which attended to more than more than 500 conference participants and members of the public over the four days of the annual event. The doctors and nurses offered a wide range of services including laboratory tests, deworming, medical consultation as well as ophthalmology checks and distribution of nearly 300 eyeglasses.

Adams referred to the operations of SNEPCo as an example of Shell’s contribution to energy security in Nigeria. “As a result of sustained production from Bonga, we have provided funds to finance development, created a new generation of Nigerian Deepwater professionals, empowered indigenous contractors and service providers, and implemented social investments that have touched lives in the six geo-political zones of the country,” he said.

Adams added, “SNEPCo and indeed Shell are in Nigeria for the long haul. Our commitment is reflected in both our current and growth plans, all of which are grounded in principles of safety, affordability, and competitive performance.”

Owing to the persistent power outage, which has crippled economic and social life in most parts of Akwa Ibom State and environs, Accugas Limited has washed its hands off the ugly situation.

This was contained in a statement under the signature of its Communications Manager, Okwudili Onyia, in which the company traced the anomaly to a “fault in the 132-KV Aba-Itu transmission line”.

To ameliorate the situation, the company maintained that “It is imperative that the restoration of the Aba-Itu line is completed as soon as possible.”

In addition, the company pledged thus, “Accugas will continue to partner with, and support, the government of Akwa Ibom State towards achieving the government’s agenda for economic development and prosperity of the state.”

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The statement reads, “Accugas Limited, a subsidiary of Savannah Energy, wishes to strongly deny the misinformation concerning its alleged involvement in the current power outage in Akwa Ibom State.

“The power cut in Akwa Ibom State is entirely due to the reported fault in the 132-KV Aba-Itu transmission line, which, unfortunately, is preventing power being transmitted from the National Grid into the State. It is imperative that the restoration of the Aba-Itu line is completed as soon as possible.

“Ibom Power Company (“IPC”) is one of 23 thermal power generation companies which channel power to the National Grid, which in turn disseminates all accumulated power to each State of the Federation through the electricity distribution companies (“Discos”). Indeed, Accugas supplies gas to enable c. 20% of Nigeria’s thermal generation capacity and, as such, is a critical enabler of the Nigerian economy.

“Within Akwa Ibom State, Accugas has been the sole supplier of gas to IPC since 2014 and, together with other Savannah subsidiaries, has invested over US$1.5 billion in gas development within the state. Furthermore, Savannah has recently invested c. US$45 million in a gas compression project at Accugas’ Uquo central processing facility at Esit Eket. Accugas’ commitments also extend to several social investment projects in the state. All the foregoing investments and projects, including other imminent investments Accugas intends to make in the State, demonstrate the Company’s long-term commitment to Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria.

“Accugas will continue to partner with, and support, the government of Akwa Ibom State towards achieving the government’s agenda for economic development and prosperity of the state.”

Shell will continue to power progress in the drive for energy security in Nigeria through its businesses in the Upstream, Midstream and Downstream and Renewables sectors.

This view was shared by the Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC,) Osagie Okunbor in Lagos, on Tuesday.

It was contained in remarks delivered on his behalf by Exploration Manager Gogo Eneyok at the opening of the 42^nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE).

Okunbor maintained that the range of the Shell businesses were integrated across the energy value chain and working hard to address the challenges as captured in the theme of the event: “Resolving the Nigeria Energy Trilemma: Energy Security, Sustainable Growth & Affordability.”

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In addition to the SPDC, the other Shell businesses in Nigeria include, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo,) Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG,) Daystar Power and All On as well as Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG,) in which Shell has 25.6% interests.

Okunbor stated, “Shell, working with government, regulators and stakeholders, is actively participating in finding a pathway through the energy trilemma. We are focused on generating maximum value and cash to power the country.”

Referring to efforts towards low and zero-carbon products to market, he said, “Shell is deploying latest technologies in reducing emission in our operations and we are well on track to meet our forecasted Green House Gas reduction targets.

”SNG is also increasing domestic gas delivery through its distribution network of 150 kilometers in Nigeria while Daystar and All On are giving individuals and communities access to cleaner and affordable energy.

Okunbor however, pointed out that for these and other efforts and investments to achieve the desired results, government had to improve the regulatory environment with continuous improvement in the provisions in the Petroleum Industry Act. “The menace of crude theft and illegal refining must also be tackled to safeguard the nation’s resources and protect the environment,” he added.

The opening ceremony of the NAPE conference featured a tour of exhibition stand by the executive members of NAPE. He and other dignitaries were conducted round the Shell stand by Magdalene Umoh, a Senior Production Systems Engineer.

She gave an insight to the milestones of Shell businesses in Nigeria including social investments and development of Nigerian contractors and vendors. The Shell stand is complemented by a well-staffed medical team which is attending to participants and visitors for the duration of the four-day conference.