The ultimate funding determination (FID) on the deliberate $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco pipeline linking North and West Africa might be reached by December, a senior Nigerian oil official mentioned.
Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Co. Ltd. (NNPC) chief government Mele Kyari introduced this on the CERAweek vitality convention in Houston, Texas, the place he championed the position of gasoline within the vitality transition, in keeping with a information launch by NNPC.
“We perceive the arguments in direction of attaining vitality transition, however the least expensive option to obtain that’s via gasoline”, Kyari was quoted as saying within the NNPC report. “We see clear alternatives that gasoline creates. As we speak we’re constructing plenty of trunklines and different gasoline infrastructure that may provide gasoline to plenty of gasoline networks”.
The press launch acknowledged citing Kyari, “[T]right here is an ongoing engagement on the Nigeria Morocco Gasoline Pipeline Venture (NMGP), which is at a sophisticated stage, to create a pipeline that may move via 13 African international locations and all the way in which to Europe”.
The pipeline is proposed to run from Nigeria to Morocco passing via Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania, in keeping with data from NNPC and the Financial Neighborhood of West African States (ECOWAS).
The challenge is deliberate to have a gasoline transport capability of three billion cubic ft per day, in keeping with NNPC.
Whereas the challenge settlement was signed 2017, a memorandum of understanding was signed September 2022 merging the West Africa gasoline pipeline extension challenge of ECOWAS and the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline.
Earlier oil and vitality officers from Nigeria and Morocco met to raise discussions towards an FID for the challenge.
“The challenge, amongst different issues, will assist drive the monetization of Nigeria’s gasoline assets, keep NNPC Ltd.’s vitality management in Africa, and promote financial and regional cooperation amongst African International locations”, NNPC mentioned in a press release January 25 in regards to the talks.
“Because of the worldwide nature of the challenge, the ECOWAS Fee is saddled with the duty to, amongst different issues, facilitate inter-governmental treaty and host authorities agreements, institution of Pipeline Larger Authority, and alignment with AU [African Union], UN and different related worldwide our bodies”, it mentioned on the time.
“The talks centered on how one can drive the partnership between the 2 international locations to speed up the Nigeria-Morocco Gasoline Pipeline Venture consistent with the collection of Memoranda of Understanding signed between the 2 international locations in Abuja in 2022”, NNPC mentioned.
“Each events emphasised the strategic significance of the challenge to the 2 international locations and your entire African continent and the necessity to drive it to completion expeditiously consistent with the target of stemming vitality poverty on the African continent”.
Final 12 months extra African international locations signed MOUs committing themselves to pursuing the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline challenge.
4 MOUs had been inked June 16, 2023, by NNPC, Morocco’s Nationwide Workplace of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Benin’s Nationwide Hydrocarbons Co., Cote d’Ivoire’s Nationwide Firm for Petroleum Operations, Guinea’s Nationwide Petroleum Co. and Liberia’s Nationwide Oil Co., as introduced by NNPC on the time.
Whereas asserting the deliberate FID at CERAWeek, Kyari instructed vitality executives and authorities officers that “earlier than vitality transition, international locations should first attain safety of vitality provide”, as quoted by the NNPC launch.
“You can not speak about vitality safety when it isn’t even obtainable”, the NNPC chief was quoted as saying. “In most sub-Saharan Africa, 70 % of the inhabitants don’t have entry to scrub cooking fuels”.
Kyari added, “For us immediately, the transition have to be differentiated”.
“Even when Africa decides to modify off its fossil fuels, it solely accounts for almost 3 % of your entire international emissions”, Kyari mentioned.
To contact the creator, e mail jov.onsat@rigzone.com