42 Bidders Win Gas Flare Commercialisation Licences –NUPRC

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced 42 successful bidders in the 2022 Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP)’s auction process. Mr Gbenga Komolafe, the NUPRC Chief Executive disclosed the outcome of the bidding exercise in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the 42 successful companies/entities in the keenly contested bid for 49 flare sites were already being issued with letters of award. The NUPRC boss said 38 of the companies/entities had been awarded 40 flare sites for stand-alone single flare site development, while four were awarded nine sites to be developed as clusters. “Reserve bidders’ status has also been accorded some companies for the corresponding flare sites in case the preferred bidders fail to meet the terms and conditions stipulated in the Request for Proposal (RFP). “Award letters are already being transmitted to the respective successful entities through the appropriate channels,” he said. “At this stage, the Preferred Bidders would individually proceed to execute the Suite of Commercial Agreements with relevant parties and effect payment of the prescribed award fees to enable the grant of Permit to Access Flare Gas by the Commission,” he said. Komolafe said that KPMG, a global network of professional firms, had been approved to partner with the Commission in the implementation of the award to ensure successful outcome of the gas flare-out commercialisation process. The NUPRC boss, on behalf of management congratulated the successful bidders and enjoined them to follow through with the final stages of the programme towards becoming Permit Holders and executors of viable projects that would harness flare gas for value creation. Komolafe recalled that, in furtherance of the commission’s mandate in Sections 7 (e) and 105 (2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021, the NGFCP was restructured and the programme re-launched in the third quarter of 2022, The restructuring, according to him, was to align with the provisions of the PIA, as well as reflect prevailing economic and operational realities. He said the significant successes recorded in the NGFCP bid process was due to a series of focused engagements with relevant stakeholders. Komolafe said the stakeholders included the domestic investors, international development agencies, oil and gas producers, technology providers and financial institutions during the intervening months. He added that the engagements by the Commission were to galvanise and sustain interest in the programme, attract investments and stimulate participation by local and foreign entities. Tracing the processes leading to the award, Komolafe said 300 companies/entities indicated interest in response to the Request for Qualification (RFQ) issued in the fourth quarter of 2022, He said following the evaluation of their Statement of Qualification (SOQ) a total of 139 applicants were deemed successful and awarded the Qualified Applicant status. “Subsequently, in the first quarter of 2023, the Commission issued the RFP to enable qualified applicants to put together their respective proposals for any of the 49 flare sites on offer. “88 entities, comprising individual companies and consortiums responded to the RFP and submitted a total of 137 proposals, each containing technical, commercial and financial documentation for one or more of the 49 flare sites for either standalone or cluster development,” he said. 

Nigeria needs political will to benefit from oil resources – Expert

An international oil and gas expert, Alhaji Sadiq Abubakar  Adamu, has urged the federal government to appoint technocrats familiar with the working of the oil and gas industry as minister. In a chat with journalists in Abuja, Adamu said appointing the right caliber of people into strategic positions in the sector would help formulate the right policies and ensure the sector is stirred in the right direction to achieve its full potential. According to him, Nigeria has the capacity and expertise to transform the oil and gas sector. Adamu, who played a leading role in the success recorded by Qatar in the development of its oil industry, stressed that with the right political will, Nigeria can turn the challenge of gas flaring into an advantage. Data from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) revealed that between January and November 2022, Nigeria flared an estimated 5.6 billion standard cubic metres of gas valued at $685m. Nigeria’s natural gas is low in Hydrogen Sulphide and Carbon Dioxide impurities, gas flaring is still estimated at nearly $2m/day. According to data, Nigeria generated 22 million tonnes of LNG yearly as of 2020.  The oil and gas expert emphasized the need for the authorities to stop wasting its huge gas resources by converting it into a source of energy to address the perennial power supply challenge. He further stated that Nigeria has huge natural gas potential and is in fact often referred to in geological terms as a gas country with few oil deposits. He said, “Even with the horrors of gas flaring and the few LNG and NGL projects so far developed, Nigeria is yet to tap into two percent (2%) of its proven 192 TCF of natural gas. With global demand currently at 120 TCF and growing, Nigeria could deftly play the go-bridge in this huge demand pool with significant benefits for the nation. All that is needed is the political will and expert deployment of management skills to turn this energy of the future to Nigeria’s fattest revenue cash cow and solid foundation for industrialization.” Adamu, who is a member of the Multi-Billion Dollars RasGas and Qatar natural Gas team, who led the Committee that structured and developed the Qatar  Condensate Refinery, also said, it is time for the country to harness its huge oil and gas deposits for the benefit of the citizenry. The Taraba State born Harvard -trained oil and gas guru, whose sojourn in the industry spans over two decades, began his blossoming career with Mobil Corporation, Virginia, in the United States of America (USA), after his graduating top of his class from the prestigious Harvard University in 1992 with a Masters Degree in Law, has also worked for the multi-national oil and gas firm in several countries including the United Arab Emirate (UAE). He explained that Nigeria needs to urgently utilize her huge gas deposits by initiating policies and innovations that would monetize its enormous unassociated gas and to, as a matter of national urgency, permanently end gas flaming and convert these rich resources to benefit its generations yet to come. According to him, it is only by driving friendly initiatives and also appointing thorough-breed professionals with the requisite skills, exposure, and commitment that the populace will enjoy the natural resources that nature has endowed the country with. A skillful negotiator, Alhaji Adamu, has successfully brokered multi-billion dollar financing for Exxon Mobil projects in several countries across the globe. The legal luminary cum oil and gas technocrat has provided legal support for procurement from the International financing market of more than 15 Billion Dollars for Exxon Mobil projects in Nigeria. Adamu who is the Chairman Board of Directors of Oil Dyanmix Limited, and a Director of Sidler Dynamic Engineering Limited, an International Oil and Gas firm, among several other businesses, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his decisive actions, saying that such policies would engender growth and development in the oil and gas sector of the economy. He canvassed support for the Administration and said all well-meaning citizens should support the government to deliver on its lofty campaign promises of; jobs creation, building of infrastructure, and social safety nets for the less privileged. The Taraba  State-born oil mogul who is also a philanthropist of repute, has experience in the hydrocarbon development industry, cut across Management, Legal support, Upstream and Midstream, Natural Gas monetization -domestic, International Planning, and Sales.