By Adetola Bademosi
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) of Morocco have signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the Société Nationale des Opérations Pétrolières of Cote d’Ivoire (PETROCI), the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures of Benin (SNH-Benin), and the Société Nationale des Pétroles of the Republic of Guinea (SONAP) to facilitate the $25 billion Nigerian-Morocco gas project.
These agreements mirror the ones signed with ECOWAS on September 15, 2022, Mauritania and Senegal on October 15, 2022, and The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Ghana on December 5, 2022.
During the First Steering Committee Meeting on the Trans-Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, spoke about the project’s progress and strategic direction.
He mentioned that the FEED Phase II Study is over 70% complete, and the tendering process for surveys, environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA), as well as the land acquisition and resettlement policy framework (LARPF), is on track. Project funding is also being actively pursued.
Kyari emphasized that NNPC views this project as an opportunity to capitalize on Nigeria’s abundant hydrocarbon resources. The aim is to expand access to energy, supporting economic growth, industrialization, and job creation across Africa and other regions.
Mr Sédiko DOUKA, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitization, stated that the gas pipeline project will enhance electricity production and generation capacity, stimulate industrial and agricultural development, and contribute to the energy transition by utilizing a cleaner source of energy compared to other fossil fuels.
“In light of the planning for ECOWAS’s regional power generation and transmission facilities up to 2033, it has been determined that gas-fired power plants will constitute 42% of the region’s installed capacity. Therefore, it is crucial to establish the necessary strategies now to ensure the region’s natural gas supply and effectively address future challenges,” he added.