By Thompson ABISOLA
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has said that priority attention is focused on gas infrastructure development to jumpstart gas gathering and evacuation that will enhance domestic gas utilisation.
The Corporation said it has started recording successes in this regard by rehabilitating damaged pipelines and establishing new ones.
Speaking at the Corporations day at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair, on Thursday, the Group Managing Director, GMD of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru, said the
corporation is leaving no stone unturned in its transformation initiative which is exerting energy on infrastructure to make the agency competitive in the industry.
Baru who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer,COO, downstream unit of the Corporation, Ikem Obi, sharing some of its achievement said the management most recently completed the rehabilitation and restoration of the vandalized 36” and 42” QIT and 48” Forcados Oil Terminal (FOT) Export pipelines leading to resumption of oil production operations.
The Corporation has also ccompleted the repair of the vandalized 20” ELPS-A pipeline, thereby ensuring gas supply to gas-fired power plants and also supply into the West African Gas Pipeline.
“We have also well awarded the contract for the construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) line gas infrastructure projects.
Currently, NNPC is expanding and integrating our gas pipeline network system to meet the unprecedented domestic gas demand. We have recorded significant progress in the execution of key on-going gas pipeline infrastructure projects (ELPS II, OB3)”, Baru disclosed.
According to the GMD, the NNPC has completed the tank expansion at Atlas Cove Ddepot, re-opening of depot facilities at Mosimi, Ibadan, Enugu, Aba & Kano, Aba-PH pipeline, Jetty expansion projects among others.
On its retail business, Baru said the company is set to go beyond the 14 per cent local market share it is currently holding and to aid in achieving this target, it has expanded its retail outlets especially those located in the South-West.
“We have the newly constructed ultra-modern mega station located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and I wish to assure you that the ongoing transformation is not limited to the
downstream sector of our operations.
In fact, we have aalready kick-started the process of rebranding some critical midstream entities (NGC, NGMC, NGPTC, GPIC and NOFS), and as with the downstream, we are not only creating new logos for these companies, we are repositioning them all for global competitiveness in line with the 12 Business Focus Areas of our administration.
All these activities, we strongly believe, will invariably impact positively on the Nigerian economy in view of the role of the Oil and Gas Industry as the number one foreign exchange earner for the country and given the position of our corporation as managers of government interests in the sector”, he added.
He said that in recognition of the importance of its role, NNPC would continue to improve on its systems, processes and procedures in order to continue to effectively add value to the exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in Nigeria, saying, “In this way, we believe, we would be more competitive in the global oil and gas market.
“As we continue on this journey, the NNPC will continue to collaborate with investment promotion bodies, such as the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, whicho shares our vision of being a catalyst for economic growth in our dear nation”, he assured.
