Kunle Kalejaye 15 August 2014, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The N90 billion Uquo Gas Gathering facility inaugurated Thursday by President Goodluck Jonathan in Esiet-Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, is set to supply 131 million standard cubic feet per day, mmscfd, of gas to the Calabar National Independent Power Plant, NIPP, and the Ibom Power Station station, beginning from the fourth quarter of 2014.
The gas gathering facility is a joint venture between Frontier Oil Ltd and Seven Exploration and Production Limited.
The facility will be supplying the gas to Ibom Power station and Calabar NIPP power station to enable them provide 750 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, equivalent to some ten per cent of Nigeria’s generating capacity.
Frontier Oil Ltd and Seven Exploration and Production Limited said the gas delivery plan was designed in a way that woud ensure the safety of communities located along the pipelines routes.
The inauguration ceremony on Thursday marked the formal commencement of gas supply to Ibom Power Company, owned by the Akwa Ibom State government.
According to the Uquo Gas Gathering facility Joint Venture partners, the gas facility is the biggest projects of its nature undertaken by independent indigenous partners in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“With Trains 1 and 2 of the Uquo Gas Processing Facility fully operational and once the connecting pipeline to Calabar is commissioned, the Joint Venture will be supplying gas to provide 750 megawatts of electricity generation capacity at the Ibom Power station and the Calabar NIPP power station, equivalent to some ten per cent of Nigeria’s generating capacity,” said Engr Dada Thomas, Managing Director of Frontier Oil.
He recalled that the Uquo Field was one of the 24 marginal fields that were awarded to indigenous companies by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, in 2003 as part of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Marginal Field Programme, aimed at increasing reserves, production, employment, local content and indigenous participation in the Nigerian upstream oil and gas business.
Mr. Philip Ihenacho, Chief Executive Officer of Seven Energy, the JV partner that provided the technical services and 100 per cent of the funding for the gas facility, informed that the gas delivery plan was designed in a way that will ensure the safety of communities located along the pipelines routes.
According to him, “The introduction of high pressure gas into the Uquo Gas Processing facility and the pipelines has been accompanied by a focused education programme along the pipeline’s Right of Way to ensure the safety of the communities located along the pipeline right of way for the safety, security and continuity of supply to Ibom Power Company.”
He maintained that the project will boost power generation in the country and generate employment for Nigerians.