Tag: gas

Gas explosion rocks Calabar fruits market, multi-million naira goods destroyed

A fire outbreak at the Marian Fruits Market in Calabar destroyed goods worth millions of naira on Tuesday.

It took men of the Federal Fire Service about five hours to put out the fire, which destroyed goods in more than 30 lockup shops.

Mrs Olumayowa Olomola, Commanding Officer at the Federal Fire Service in Calabar told NAN that the fire was caused by a gas explosion in one of the lockup shops.

She said that the command received a distress call at 2.40 a.m., when the fire started and its operatives immediately swung into action.

“The fire started from one of the shops where the occupant, a woman who was boiling beans slept off.

“The woman in question had other cylinders filled with gas in her shop and this led to the explosion when what she was cooking got burnt.

“There was no response from any other fire service until the Federal Fire Service put out the fire around 7 a.m.,’’ she said.

August 31, 2022
CBN makes strong case for economic diversification

The Director of Trade and Exchange Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Ozoemena Nnaji has said there is an urgent need to diversify the Nigerian economy to spur growth.

Nnaji made the call on Saturday, at the 33rd Seminar for Finance Correspondents and Business Editors in Abuja.

She said that the status of Nigeria as a mono-product economy had been detrimental to economic growth.

She described a mono-product economy as one that depends on a single product or resource for economic growth and development.

She said that the concept could further be referred to a case where a country depended on a single product for sales or exports for for 70 per cent of its budget funding. According to her, a mono-product economy is unstable.

“An increase or decrease in the world price of the product will affect the budget of the economy. It may witness a high percentage of unemployment; it is import-dependent and cannot stand on its own. It weakens the foreign exchange base of the country’s economy,” she said.

She said that such an economy weakend local production of goods that were imported into the country, adding “In addition to importing finished goods, a country may also import inflation and other economic effects”.

She said that oil and gas accounted for 90 per cent of export income and 85 per cent of government revenue in the first quarter of 2022.

According to her, that makes Nigeria a mono-product economy, owing to its dependence on oil and gas.

She added that a more committed engagement in agriculture would grow the economy faster.

“Nigeria is a hugely agrarian economy which vast arable land, and with a large portion of the population into subsistence agriculture. Only less than 40 per cent of the vast arable land is cultivated, ” she said.

She said that the overbearing impact of the oil sector on the nation’s economy exposed the country to external shocks whenever there is change in price.

“To insulate the Nigerian economy from the shocks and FX shortages, there is need to develop new strategies. It should be aimed at earning more stable and sustainable inflows of FX through diversification of the non-oil export sector, ” she said.

She added that diversification would guarantee sectoral dependence and balance in the economy.

According to Nnaji, the need for more sources of export products to reduce importation of goods and services that can be produced locally makes diversification imperative.

“Promotion of international trade that will lead to balance of payment position; the need for a dynamic economy capable of absorbing shocks while maintaining full employment. The need for a high rate of economic growth and development, ” she said.

August 28, 2022
NNPC Limited releases financial report for October 2021

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has released its monthly financial and operations report for October 2021, which shows the company supplied a total of 594 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd) to gas-fired power plants in the country as against the 557mmscfd supplied in the previous month of September 2021.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the NNPC Limited’s Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR) for October 2021 is the 75th in the series since the company started publishing the report in 2015.

According to a statement released by Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC Limited, the total gas supply to power for the month translates to an average power generation of about 2,944Mega Watts (MW) compared to 2,701 MW for the previous month.

“A further breakdown of the gas production and supply matrix for the period under review shows that a total of 197.71 Billion Cubic Feet (BCF) was produced, while 121.05BCF was commercialized. Of the commercialized volume, 34.93BCF went to the domestic market while 86.13BCF was exported. This implies that 62.54% of the average daily gas produced was commercialized while the balance of 37.46% was re-injected, used as upstream fuel gas or flared,” the statement reads.

In the Downstream, the report shows that a total of 1,101.02million litres of white products were sold and distributed by Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) in the month of October 2021, compared with 1,390.19 million litres in the month of September 2021. This comprised 1,098.17mil lion litres of PMS and 2.84million litres of AGO which also translates to a sales revenue of #147.36 billion.

The report also shows that a total of 28 vandalized points were recorded on the company’s pipelines in October 2021, representing a 33.33% increase compared to 21 pipeline breaks recorded in September 2021 with the Mosimi and Port Harcourt Areas accounting for 96% and 4% respectively.

August 3, 2022
EU to replace gas from Russia with Nigeria

The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS said on Friday that, it would replace the gas from Russia with Nigeria Gas due to the invasion in Ukraine.

The Deputy Director-General Department for (Energy), European Commission in Brussels, Mr Matthew Baldwin, said this at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.

Baldwin will be meeting with Nigerian top government officials and private sector players, including key stakeholders in the country’s Energy Sector.

The EU’s executive body had urged member states to slash their gas consumption by 15 per cent as it warned that a complete shutdown of Russian supplies was “likely”.

The EU has been scrambling to wean itself off Russian gas since the invasion of Ukraine, but is alarmed about a potential energy crisis this winter.

“In summary, I am on a mission from Europe to try to deliver Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) today in the context of NLG partnership tomorrow with Nigeria.

“Europe is in a tight spot in relations to gas, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the instability in our gas market and the threat of cutting off supply altogether.

“So, we have launched the energy platform task force and the primary goal is to reach out to our reliable partners such as Nigeria to replace the gas from Russia with gas from reliable partners,” he said.

According to him, you would have seen perhaps early this week, we launched a gas demand reduction plan and we are looking to reduce demand of gas by 15 per cent to manage the demand aspect of the equation.

“To be clear, we need to manage the supply side and that’s why we want to expand what is currently at 14 per cent shares of our total LNG import from Nigeria and we want it to go up.

“Our gas percentage was 60 per cent but now we want to go,’’ he said.

He added that Nigerian products had an extraordinary potentials and that was why EU wanted to expand the short term delivery.

Also, he said that by the end of August this year EU hopefully to kick start the partnership, adding that, it would create a long term partnership with Nigeria.

Speaking also, Ms Samuela Isopi, the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said that the bloc was doing its part in contributing to the energy sector through different collaborations with Nigerian Government.

She said that currently, EU’s contribution stands at 400 million euros “ The EU as a bloc remains Nigeria’s biggest trading partner accounting for more than 20 per cent of Nigerian trade with the world.

In 2021 the volume of EU-Nigeria trade stood at 28.7 billion euros (an increase of more than 25 per cent over 2020) with a trade balance of 6.4 billion euros in favour of Nigeria.

July 23, 2022
Russia-Ukraine war: Nigeria set to supply gas to Europe

With the ongoing war between two European countries, Russia and Ukraine, the president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that his nation is set to fill the natural gas gaps in Europe.

The President made the announcement on Thursday in Lisbon, Portugal, where he is on a State Visit.

Buhari said with over 200 million mainly young people, Nigeria is ready to be the hub of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Commenting on collaboration between Nigeria and Portugal, he urged his host country to consider Nigeria as a valued and trusted partner in Africa.

The Nigerian leader identified five key areas of cooperation capable of moving both countries forward.

These are oil and gas, tourism and hospitality industry, air travel, security and joint commission.

Buhari said with the current war, Nigeria-Portugal partnership has become vital to avoid crisis in the demand and supply chain.

The West African power is already a major supplier of gas to Portugal.

On tourism, the President noted that Nigeria had huge potential in the sector and would like to benefit from Portugal’s expertise.

On air travel, he emphasized the need to sign a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and establish a direct air link between the two countries.

July 1, 2022
Minister visits 26 survivors of Kano gas explosion, pledges support

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Faruk, has visited the 26 surviving victims of the gas explosion in Kano.

The incident, which had already claimed a life, occurred on Thursday night at Sheka Quarters, Kano.

Faruk, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, met the survivors at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, where they were being treated.

“We will support the victims in managing their care, as care of burns requires a lot of dedication, time and is also expensive.

“Many of the victims are in critical condition, burn is not a small injury in health. We pray such incident would not occur again,” she said.

Faruk said that the ministry would put in place mechanism to ensure that the sale and use of gas were safer than they were now.

“It is already ringing a bell that a lot of things are unsafe and they needed to be sanitised. We will draw the attention of relevant authorities to them,” she said.

Earlier, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr Hussaini Muhammad, said out of the 27 victims that were brought to the facility on June 2, one had died while the others were being treated.

On his part, the Executive Secretary, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Saleh Jili, commended the minister for her support and wished the victims speedy recovery.

The minister was accompanied by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Kano Territorial Coordinator, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi.

Recall that on May 17 gas explosion rocked Kano that killed nine and injured ten.

June 4, 2022
BREAKING: Again, explosion rocks Kano, many injured

A gas explosion at a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refiling shop has burnt down shops and injured 20 people in Kano State.

A correspondent, who visited the scene of the incident, reports that it occurred at a busy area of Sheka quarters, Karshen-Kwalta in Kano.

It was gathered that the explosion happened at about 8:30 p.m., on Thursday, when a cylinder exploded and instantly caught fire.

The fire destroyed the place and about three other shops nearby, including part of a house attached to the shop.

Witnesses said they heard the sound of the gas cylinder explosion from afar.

One of the witnesses identified as Malam Abubakar, said that many people were rushed to hospital naked, with burnt skins.

He said that over 10 people were affected by the incident, mostly those inside the shop and the people living close to the place doing their businesses.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Mr Saminu Yusif, confirmed the incident.

He said that 20 people were involved, but had been rescued alive and now receiving treatment in hospitals.

Yusif said that the incident was allegedly caused by fire from a man frying and selling fish near the gas shop.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports a similar explosion occurred in the Sabon Gari area of the State in May.

June 3, 2022
10 dead after gas leak in residential building

Algerian civil defence service said at least 10 people were killed in an explosion in a residential building that was caused by gas leak that subsequently led to the collapse of the building.

The explosion which occurred in Algeria’s Bordj Bou Arreridj province left 10 dead and 16 others injured.

According to the local civil defence, it remains unclear exactly how many people were inside the building when the incident took place.

Algerian news website Ennaharonline reported that among the fatalities was nine-month-old baby.

April 8, 2022
OPEC warns about abandoning oil and gas in Africa

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said the mounting pressure to abandon oil and gas could affect the production of gas reserves in Africa.

Speaking at the Nigeria Energy Forum organised by Energy and Corporate Africa, alongside the CERA Week in Houston, OPEC’s Secretary-General, Sanusi Barkindo, pointed out that discussions on climate change and energy transition were more of emotion than fact.

While the continent has about 125 billion crude oil reserves and 16 trillion standard cubic meters of natural gas, Barkindo said, “this is wrong. Rational discussions need to be based on facts, hard data and science and include all stakeholders.

“Additionally, we are witnessing investors, environmental lobbyists and even some corporate boards pressuring oil and gas companies and governments to pursue increasingly radical policies and initiatives that could, in the end, be more disruptive, than productive, for the global energy industry.”

While the need for net-zero remained critical according to him, the massive challenges for developing countries like Nigeria must be put in context, considering the energy poverty on the continent.

Barkindo said: “We need to continually keep in mind that access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is a right for all, not a privileged few, and is enshrined in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 7.

“The unfortunate reality for developing countries is that a staggering 759 million people worldwide did not have access to electricity in 2019, with around 79 per cent of them located in Africa.”

He explained that in Nigeria alone in 2019, only 55 per cent of the population had access to electricity and only 13 per cent had access to clean cooking fuel.

According to the OPEC boss, the energy poverty numbers for Africa are stark, and Africa alone accounts for less than three per cent of global emissions.

“We also need to remember in the energy poverty debate that Africa is still relatively unexplored in terms of oil and gas, bestowed with approximately 125 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 16 trillion standard cubic metres of natural gas.

“The capacities and national circumstances of developing countries must be taken into account in all actions,” he said.

March 13, 2022
Why Nigeria is unable to meet OPEC quota — Sylva

Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has attributed the inability of Nigeria to meet the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota to a lack of investments in the oil and gas sector.

Nigeria’s OPEC quota is pegged at 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) but in the last few years, the country has struggled between 1.3 and 1.4 million bpd.

Sylva, according to a statement by his Senior Adviser (Media and Communications) Horatius Egua, on Wednesda, spoke at a ministerial plenary, at the ongoing Ceraweek, in Houston, Texas.

He said the speed with which international oil companies and other investors were withdrawing investments in hydrocarbon exploitation had contributed significantly to Nigeria’s inability to meet OPEC target.

According to Sylva, the rate at which investments were taken away was too fast.

“Lack of investment in the oil and gas sector contributed to Nigeria’s inability to meet OPEC quota. We are not able to get the needed investments to develop the sector and that affected us,” he added.

He also cited security challenges as another major factor that contributed to the lack of significant growth of the sector.

The minister added that the drive towards renewable energy by climate enthusiasts had discouraged funding for the sector.

Sylva, however, called for a change of attitude, stressing that in decades to come, hydrocarbon would continue to play a central role in meeting the energy needs of the world.

The minister, who is an advocate of gas as a transition fuel for Africa, said although Nigeria was in full support of the energy transition, the country, and the African continent, should be allowed to develop at its own pace.

This, he said, would enable the continent to be able to meet the energy needs of the over 600 million people who have no access to any form of power in Africa.

“There are about 600 million people in Africa without access to power, and of that number, the majority live in Nigeria.

“And of the over 900 million people without access to power in the world, the majority live in Africa. So how do we provide access to power for these people if you say we should not produce gas?

“We believe that gas is the way to go. We believe that gas is the way forward and the one access to power. For the energy transition programme to be taken seriously we need to have an inclusive energy transition programme.

“We believe in energy transition but we as Africans have our own peculiar problems and we are saying that our energy transition should be focused on gas to bridge the energy gap.

“This is what we have been saying. We need a just and equitable energy transition programme,” Sylva stated.

He maintained that Nigeria was not in any way against any transition programme but urged promotion of renewable energy as the only path to energy transition to give the less fortunate countries the opportunity to achieve energy sufficiency before doing away with fossil fuel.

“As Africans, we are saying that we must be allowed to transit through gas. We cannot achieve one energy base load through renewable alone.

“The rest of the world must listen to us. We are happy that our point of view is being taken,” he said.

March 9, 2022