Netherlands-based Energy Ventures BV has commenced preparations for a project to convert flared gas into electricity and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Nigeria, beginning with a pilot plant in Igwuruta, Ikwerre LGA of Rivers State.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Herbert Okibe, on Monday September 21, said its Nigerian subsidiary, Africa Gas Technology Company Ltd., would develop the project using about five million standard cubic feet of gas currently flared daily. He said the initiative was designed to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of converting wasted gas into useful energy while providing electricity and cooking gas.
Okibe said the project had completed its Environmental Impact Assessment and secured approval from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to establish the gas plant. The company has also received approval from Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company to engage the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), with the NERC permit required before full construction begins.
He said the project would require tens of millions of dollars in investment, with support from the Dutch and Nigerian governments, including the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund. However, regulatory processes and weaknesses in Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure remain challenges, including obsolete power facilities, overloaded transformers and inadequate metering systems.
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