Yemisi Izuora
The federal government yesterday shortlisted two hundred firms from bidders for the Commercialization of 45 gas flare sites in the country as part of the ongoing Nigeria Gas Flare Commercialization Programme.
Speaking at a bidders conference in Lagos,the Director of Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR),Sarki Auwalu,said the bidders emerged from 850 who registered their interested in the Nigeria Gas Flare Commercialization Programme and submitted Statement of Qualification in response to the Request for Qualification published by the Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR).
The said the conference provided a platform to engage with every qualified stakeholder to provide further clarifications on the RFP and commercial agreements and other matters relating to the NGFCP programme.
The NGFCP is a programme designed by government to provide a commercial approach to eliminate routine gas flaring by creating value from flare gas through the capture and transformation of waste gas into useful products.
He said the programme would enable the Nigerians benefit from the commercial value of flaring gas and other potential value of the country’s gas revolution .
The programme is also government’s effort in attaining Zero Routine Flaring (ZRF) from oil and gas operations and align with its commitment to the Paris Climate Change Agreement (COP 21).
At the conference, some bidders expressed disappointment over the exclusion of certain prolific sites from the bids and other infractions which do not give them requisite value as Nigerian investors.
But the Department of Petroleum Resources said it was not true that non-prolific sites were put on the basket to discourage some local investors at the expense of foreign ones.
The agency said the intent of the federal government on the programme would be met while not losing sight of its economic and environmental impacts to investors and the country.
The Programme Manager of NHFCP, Mr.Justice Derefaka,had said that it has the potential of generating approximately $3.5 billion of inward investment into Nigeria, as well as the potential to impact the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by an estimated $ 1 billion per annum.
“It could have the potential to unlock 2 to 3 Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG trains, around 3000 Megawatts electricity generation as well as generate circa 600,000 metric tons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG per year giving 6 million households access to clean energy through LPG.
“The programme could also bring inflow of new infrastructure players to enable gas uptake and usage in previously unreachable regions and business development from gas companies to unlock new domestic markets for gas,” Derefaka, added.
