Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Group Project Manager for Asharami Energy, a Sahara Group upstream company, Wole Ajeigbe, has said that Sahara Energy is a pioneer in the decarbonisation of its upstream operations in Africa.
Ajeigbe made this disclosure while speaking at the inaugural edition of Asharami Square, a pioneering initiative aimed at advancing the reportage of issues related to sustainability through impactful media advocacy.
According to Ajeigbe, Asharami Energy is decarbonising its upstream operations through a number of innovative solutions including Reducing methane emissions, achieved by improving leak detection and deploying vapour recovery units; Reducing routine gas flaring, by building additional gas processing facilities, as well as transport and gathering infrastructure.
According to the latest World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, released in June 2024, Nigeria flared about 5.83 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in 2023 worth a maximum of $1.89 billion or N1.7 trillion in 2023
Other innovative solutions include Changing power sources, through the use of on-site renewable generation; Asset integrity monitoring, by continually checking for leaks in pipelines; Increased energy efficiency; Increased use of Carbon Capture Use and Storage, CCUS.
Themed ‘Carbon Footprint and the African Narrative’, Asharami Square featured speakers from the energy and media sector. Participants were drawn from different segments of the media, including students from Mass Communications departments.
Speakers at the maiden edition of Asharami Square included: Bethel Obioma; Ejiro Gray; Foluso Sobanjo, Head, Downstream Africa, Sahara Group; Wole Ajeigbe, Group Projects Manager, Asharami Energy (A Sahara Group Upstream Company); Mokhtar Bounour, CEO Egbin Power Plc; Ogochukwu Onyelucheya, Chief Commercial Officer, Ikeja Electric; Prof. Sunday Adebisi, Professor of Entrepreneurship Hub & Strategic Management, University of Lagos; ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director, West Africa, Ford Foundation; Eugene O. Itua, CEO Natural Eco Capital; and Dr. Marcel Mbamalu, CEO Newstide Publications Limited.