FG plans to commence exploration on Bonga oil field project

Bonga oil field. PHOTO: SHELL

• NNPC to extend West African gas pipeline to Côte d’Ivoire 
The Federal Government has commenced consultations with stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, aimed at re-activating Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO), the Bonga oilfield.

At the bi- annual stakeholders engagement meeting in Abuja, Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, said the oilfield is very important to Nigeria, and both should implement its mandate for the sustainability of the project.

Represented by the Director of Environmental Assessment, John Alonge, he urged SNEPCO to make integrity, transparency as its watchword, in all transactions. He stressed that there must be compliance because both have lots of issues to contend with.

According to him, Shell and the ministry must have social and technical dialogues so that both would be on the same template to move the project forward.

Presenting a paper on Bonga Southwest Aparo reframed project /scope and proposed EIA plan, Raphael Afolabi of Shell, said they have updated the concept and it is now going to run from 2018-2023 in three phases.

He said, “they are expecting one billion barrels of oil from Bonga project, and would expend over $10 billion; technical works are going, while stakeholders have been very supportive. We would come back to government.”

He said the Federal Government had to reframe Bonga because of low oil price, promising that optimum Nigerian content would be applied in all cases, and go beyond this project.

An Environmental Manager, Augustine Ibukun, said oil producing communities would continue to have negative impacts, the multinationals should see how to open dialogue and discussions with them and work out plans to eliminate emission.

Meanwhile, plans are underway by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to extent the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) from Ghana to Cote d’ Ivoire as part of the Federal Government West African energy integration policy.

The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, made this disclosure yesterday while receiving a delegation from Cote d’Ivoire at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.

Represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power, Saidu Mohammed, the GMD stated that the extension of WAGP to Cote d’Ivoire would facilitate easy transmission of gas within the West African sub-region.

Leader of the Ivoirian delegation and Deputy Director, Production, of Ministry of Petroleum, Cote d’ Ivoire, Mr. Patrick Marshal, said the visit was to learn from Nigeria some of its best practices in personnel management, exploration and production in the oil and gas industry.