Chinwendu Obienyi
The ongoing Assa North-Ohaji South gas development project in Imo State will produce 600 million standard cubic feet (scf) of gas per day, energy equivalent of about 2,400 megawatts which will provide uninterrupted electricity to about 2.4 million homes.
Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, disclosed this in Lagos on Monday during the media launch of the 2019 edition of the Shell in Nigeria Briefing Notes.
SPDC took the final investment decision on the Assa North-Ohaji South project last December giving a major momentum to the domestic gas aspiration of the Federal Government for increased power generation and industrialisation. While giving the breakdown of the gas production, Okunbor said that 300 million standard cubic feet per day would be processed at a new gas processing plant owned by the SPDC Joint Venture, while the remaining 300 million will go to a proposed gas processing plant by Seplat Petroleum.
He said: “The project would be a major game changer in Nigeria’s quest for energy sufficiency and economic growth as we look to grow the domestic gas market.”
Okunbor added that the SPDC and its joint venture partners, which include the NNPC, Total and Agip, would continue to explore other areas of support for the expansion of domestic gas supply and continue to make investments under the right conditions.
The Assa North-Ohaji South Gas Development project ranks top among the Federal Government’s seven critical gas development projects aimed at accelerating Nigeria’s aspiration for energy sufficiency and diverse industrial growth.
Speaking further on the company’s gas development strategy, SPDC’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, said Shell was transforming to a gas-oriented business and currently accounts for about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s domestic gas most of which is used for power generation.