Yemisi Izuora
Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) has listed major encumbrances that have held back growth of Nigeria’s gas sector and has called on Government to take necessary steps to address them.
According to the Company, infrastructure and regulatory and fiscal stability are required to drive the development of Nigeria’s gas resources.
“Major investments are required to develop large scale infrastructure along the gas value chain (pipelines, gas processing plants, gas distribution networks) as well as human capacity development,” SNG Managing Director Ralph Gbobo said at a panel session on “Accelerating gas development for domestic and global energy needs” at the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference in Abuja.
A stable and transparent regulatory and fiscal regime is also essential to creating a predictable and secure operating environment which enhances investor confidence. Ralph stressed the need for deployment of technology to enhance “the efficiency, sustainability and growth of the domestic gas sector.”
He said: “Technology-driven advancements such as remote data gathering systems, remote monitoring, real-time data analytics, digital solutions, autonomous Operations systems, smart metering and monitoring, predictive analytics systems will play a significant role in improving the efficiency, sustainability and growth of the domestic gas sector, and enhancing its attractiveness to investors.”
Commenting on the operations of SNG, Ralph said the company, which was established in 1998, is developing new gas distribution networks in Oyo and Bayelsa states, while also expanding its systems to cater for more industries in Ogun, Rivers and Abia states.
He said the milestones recorded by Shell proved the value of partnerships and collaboration towards the development of Nigeria’s gas resources, as this can “aggregate investment capital, facilitate knowledge transfer and capacity building, enhance skills and build expertise, significantly enhancing Nigeria’s domestic gas sector.”
In a related development, Shell sponsored a dinner at Nigeria Oil and Gas as part of its support for the event. In remarks read by the Vice President Gas and Commercial, Rohan D’ Souza: Executive Vice President and Country Chair, Shell Nigeria, Marno de Jong, described the annual conference “as a notable meeting point for policy makers, industry leaders and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to share ideas on critical issues facing the oil industry.”
Marno said: “Shell has been part of the NOG story and is Diamond sponsor of this year’s event in line with our commitment to the development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, dating back to our presence in the country some 60 years ago.”