Stakeholders seek enabling environment for gas development
Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector have stressed the need for appropriate policies to be put in place in order to develop the gas sector of the nation’s petroleum industry. Other things they want put in place to enhance a robust gas sector include infrastructure, market, partnership and security in the Niger-Delta region of the country.
Speaking at a day workshop titled ‘Developing Nigeria gas market commercialisation, existing discoveries and encouraging exploration,’ they agree that as much as gas is seen as an alternative to oil, it is crucial for the government to provide enabling environment for growth and development of the product for the use of the society.
Andy Yakubu, the executive director, exploration and production, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, says Nigeria has 41 trillion cubic feet of gas deficiency, adding that we have to work hard for gas and not only for oil.
Yakubu states that low domestic gas price, funding challenges, lack of commercial frame work, gas resources distance from the people that need it are the major challenges of gas development in the country.
He therefore states that domestic gas must become a big business in the country, adding that aggressive domestic power sector reform, regional initiative such as West Africa Gas Pipeline Project, high gas price, are the key to gas export market.
Guy Muirce, managing director, Total E&P Nigeria Limited, who spoke on domestic gas utilisation, gas infrastructure and energy supply, notes that gas infrastructural development is capital intensive.
Also speaking at the workshop organised by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, Austin Olorunshola, vice president, gas, Shell, states that his company is committed to gas and power development in the country, adding that natural gas remains the preferred fuel of choice.
