Gas Production, Commercialisation, Industrialisation Projects Remain Federal Govt’s Priority – Ekpo

Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo on Friday met with a delegation of promoters and top officials of the Brass Petrochemical and Gas Project to be located in Bayelsa State.

The team was led by its managing director, Chief Ben Okoye and the chief gas and power investment officer of NNPC Ltd, Dr. Salihu Jamari.

Ekpo restated the commitment of the federal government in supporting private sector investments geared at unlocking the gas potential of the country for the overall benefit of the economy and citizens, a statement by the minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, indicated.

The minister was also quoted as tasking the management of gas producer, SPDC JV on the need to work closely with  promoters of the Brass Petrochemical and Gas Project to ensure smooth supply of gas for the project in line with the aspiration of President Bola Tinubu on availability of feedstocks to drive gas based investments, commercialisation and industrialisation projects.

“The feeling of Mr. President is that anything that has to do with gas production and commercialisation and industrialisation should be encouraged and given priority; I will like the two sectors to be more cordial,” Ekpo said.

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Managing director of the Brass Methanol project, Ben Okoye informed the minister that the team had unbundled the gas and methanol components of the project to operate as separate projects.

He assured that once approval is gotten from the Board of Brass Petrochemical, things would kick start by March this year and that everything about the project would be completed by Q1 2027.

He said the gas pipelines have been designed to be expanded from Train one to  Train 3 and even more on gas availability. He said though the starting capacity for the Gas Plant would be 340million standard cubic feet (mmscfd), the pipeline is designed to carry 980mmscf.

The SPDC representative at the meeting,  Ed Ubong, assured the Minister that they are fully committed to the project and fulfilling its gas supply obligations.

Former minister of Information and Communications, Frank Nweke Jnr who is also on the board of the Brass Petrochemical project called for stronger political leadership from the government to see the project through given the inherent benefits of additional revenue generation to government coffers, forex availability and job creation to citizens of Nigeria.