Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, TEPNG, has announced that the development of its Ikike rig project would create 3,000 direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians.
Country Chair and Managing Director of TEPNG, Mike Sangster, disclosed this at the Ikike project first steel cutting ceremony, held at the construction yard of Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited, in Port Harcourt.
Sangster said the final investment decision was taken in January 2019, while NNPC board approval and NCDMB NCCC certification were secured in June 2019 while the LOI for contracts of the four major packages was launched in August 2019.
The Total boss, represented by the Deputy Managing Director, Port Harcourt District, Mr Guillaume Dulout, said Ikike development project coming on the heels of the Egina project is a further commitment of the TOTAL group to Nigeria and the growth of the oil and gas industry
He commended the cooperation of DPR, NAPIMS and NCDMB for their commitments, guidance and support, stating that nothing tangible would have been achieved without them.
“The first steel cut that we are celebrating today marks the commencement of construction phase (jacket, piles TDD and topsides in Saipem (Receiving module and brownfield components in SUDELLETTRA), (risers, spools. riser protectors in Aveon on behalf of DELTATEK/NETCO) and (ICSS in CISAN/INTECH).
“The offshore campaigns will be follow thereafter leading to first oil in Q3 2021.
“Ikike represents a template project for Total, the successful completion of which should allow the launch of several other similar developments. The execution strategy-basic+detailed engineering, procurement, Call for Tender stages in parallel-has allowed a significant progress of work leading to construction after only four months.
“The engineering contract and tour packages, with ongoing drilling contracts call for tenders will all be domiciled in Nigeria. The basic and detailed engineering has been successfully executed in Nigeria by NETCO, which continues to provide construction assistance.
“The construction of jacket, modules, topsides, and risers in Nigerian yards will boost local employment with 3000 direct and indirect jobs.
“lkike is a testament of cooperation and working together. Though each oil and gas development project has its peculiar challenges, a key success factor is always the willingness of all parties involved to cooperate and address the challenges.”
The project which was launched by the NNPC/TEPNG Joint Venture, according to the French multinational, has several objectives, which include to, “Develop the Ikike reservoirs as a tie- back to the existing Amenam field with incremental production 32000 barrels per day of oil and 3.3Msm3 of gas per day by drilling 5 new wells including water injection.
“Capitalize on lessons learnt from previous projects (OFON, OML 58) to assure a development with strategy fit for context, maximum local content at sustainable cost, minimalist/simplified design, economic and fast execution to first oil.
“Create a template for future similar developments by TOTAL.”
Also speaking, the Manager, Ikike Project, Mr Modestus Nwosu, assured that the two firms will work together to ensure the project would be delivered safely and in a cost effective manner.
“We have to ensure we deliver this project safely, as we have done in the last few months, we have developed a safety culture initiative which wie called the goal zero incidentt and which will work hand in hand with the safety initiative with Total..”
For their part, the National Petroleum Investment Services, NAPIMS, lauded Total and Sapiem over their collaboration in launching the Ikike project which will offer over 3000 job opportunities Nigerians.
NAPIMS Manager, Facilitaties, Mr Raimi Adeyemi, described Ikike project as one of its kind in Nigeria because of the local contents aspiration and job opportunities for the youths.
Adeyemi assured Total of full support from NAPIMS and NNPC in the course of the project.
