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Nigeria shines at African Energy Week in South Africa

*Ministry of Petroleum Resources Steals Show At The Ongoing 2022 edition of African Energy Week (AEW) Conference In Cape Town South Africa 🇿🇦’*

The Ministry of Petroleum Resources under the superintendency of the Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,  H.E. Chief Timipre Sylva Shines at the African Energy Award Night At the ongoing 2022 edition of African Energy Week (AEW) which officially kicked off yesterday Tuesday, 18th October 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa Under the theme ‘Exploring and Investing in Africa’s Energy Future while Driving an Enabling Environment,’ 

The Ministry of Petroleum Resources clinched the prestigious award of ‘Gas Monetization Development Award of the Year’ premised on the Federal Government ‘Decade of Gas’ Development Initiative in Nigeria. 

The award was received on behalf of the Honorable Minister by his acting chief of staff/Governor of OPEC for Nigeria, and Special Adviser, International Energy Relations -Dr Adedapo Odulaja. He was accompanied on the stage by the Technical Adviser (TA) on Gas Business & Policy Implementation To The Honorable Minister of State, Petroleum Resources - Dr. Justice O. Derefaka alongside the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, (NCDMB) - Engr. Simbi Wabote, NNPC Group Executive Director (GED) Downstream, Adetunji Adeyemi and others (see pictures below) 

Recall last year (29th March, 2021), President Muhammadu Buhari, alongside Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, H.E. Timipre Sylva featured in the “Decade of Gas” conference and high-level networking session in Abuja. 

Nigeria’s ‘Decade of Gas’ initiative succeeds the 2020 ‘Year of Gas’ declaration, which played a forerunner to the decade-long ambition and saw the government unveil a range of projects, including the 614kms-long Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline at a cost of $2.8 billion to connect the eastern, western, and northern regions of the country, and the construction of $10 billion LNG Train 7. Policy changes, such as gas flare commercialisation and the codification of the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network, are in addition to these projects.  

The event, with the theme, “Towards a Gas-powered Economy by 2030” which also served as the formal launch of the Federal Government’s initiative to declare January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2030 as “the Decade of Gas Development for Nigeria”, a period the government aspires to industrialise the country using gas as an enabler. Following this declaration, the government and operators have demonstrated a new resolve to do things differently.

“To actualise the dream of transforming Nigeria with its massive natural gas resources requires collaboration of government with the necessary stakeholders; the international oil companies, the indigenous oil companies and financial companies … to fully utilise our gas resources to uplift our economy,” said President Buhari at the launch and declaration of the FG’s decade of gas initiative , highlighting the importance of gas industry for significant revenue generation, in addition to over tens of thousands of job opportunities for Nigerians up to 2030. 

Last year at the launch of the decade of gas, The Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources HE Timpire Sylva, said: “It is no longer acceptable that despite the country’s vast natural gas resources the gap between electricity supply and demand is huge. We must deal with the energy poverty in this country, we must find a way to unlock the natural gas potential of this great nation and drag over 120 million people out of energy poverty.” 

Gas is a source of energy, gas is transport in vehicles, petrochemical in feedstock, power in manufacturing and industry, food through fertiliser, and now it is the central plank in the world’s seventh most populous nation and a pillar member of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Nigeria, as it transforms its energy landscape to run entirely on natural gas. 

Nigeria is blessed with abundant reserves of both associated and non-associated gas, estimated to be in excess of over 208 trillion (standard) cubic feet (tcf). However, geologists believe that there is a lot more gas to be found in Nigeria, potentially up to 600 tcf, if oil and gas companies deliberately explore for gas, as opposed to finding it accidentally while in search of oil. 

Proving the 600 tcf reserves will move Nigeria to fourth position in the world from currently the ninth largest natural gas reserve-holder in the world. The country is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa and the sixth largest supplier globally of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world. Nigeria is a member of both the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and OPEC. 

As the decade of gas initiative looks promising and succinct, many now believe that Nigeria’s largely untapped, natural gas resources could provide the means for the country to fund its way through the global energy transition. And one of the country’s major efforts is the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) 614km-long natural gas pipeline set for completion in 2023. It will feature a diameter of 40in and is expected to transport 3,500 million metric standard cubic feet per day (Mmscfd) of dehydrated wet gas from several gas gathering projects located in southern Nigeria. 

The AKK project will result in the establishment of a connecting pipeline network between the eastern, western and northern regions of Nigeria. It also aims to create a steady and guaranteed gas supply network between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria by utilising the country’s widely available gas resources.

In addition, the development is expected to reduce the large volume of gas flared annually in Nigeria, as well as the subsequent environmental impact. The pipeline is slated to originate from Ajaokuta and pass through Abuja and Kaduna, before ending at a terminal gas station in Kano.

The project will be executed in three phases, with phase one covering the construction of a 200km-long segment between Ajaokuta and Abuja Terminal Gas Station at a cost of $855m. Phase two will comprise a 193km-long section to be built between Abuja and Kaduna at a cost of approximately $835m. Phase three will involve the construction of a 221km-long section between the Kaduna terminal gas station (TGS) and Kano TGS. This section will cost an estimated $1.2bn to complete.

Other infrastructure planned for the development includes various associated valve stations, as well as intermediate and terminal facilities. The natural gas pipeline is expected to require the laying of approximately 51,200 steel line 40in-diameter pipes featuring a total combined weight of 240,768t. Furthermore, the project will utilise 24in-diameter steel line pipes for spur lines, as well as 40in-diameter line break valves and future tie-in valves. 

The AKK project is spearheaded by the government and funded by China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the government hopes it will connect the country’s gas supply to other planned trans-regional and intercontinental pipelines, such as the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, in order to open up access to Europe. 

Additionally, one of Nigeria’s current biggest gas deal the The Nigeria LNG Train 7 project has a 5-year completion schedule already clearly mapped out. The project will provide direct employment to 12,000 people and indirect employment to over 40,000 Nigerians. Local vendors and contractors would be taken to task to provide the materials required.

Recall also that in the Decade of Gas work plan, about 10 projects has been identified to address the supply side of natural gas and power challenge. Decade of Gas work plan has also looked at the demand side of natural gas in Nigeria both domestic and export, the supply side, the infrastructure side, as well as the commercial or economic framework needed to address all the problems and had equally outlined very specific things needed to be done to address them.

Ending petrol subsidy extremely difficult but FG has no other option - MOMAN

Olumide Adeosun, Chairman, MOMAN

The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) says ending subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) is extremely difficult but the Federal Government has no other option in light of current economic realities.

MOMAN also called for massive investment by the government in various sectors such as mass transportation, healthcare and education to successfully wean off Nigerians from petrol subsidy.

Mr Olumide Adeosun, Chairman, MOMAN, made this known during a panel session at the just concluded

Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) Strategic International Conference which held on Thursday in Lagos.

He spoke on the topic: " Energy Transition, PIA, Petroleum Pricing and the Way Forward for the Downstream Sector."

 Represented by Mr Clement Isong, Chief Executive Officer, MOMAN, Adeosun said it would remain extremely difficult to wean Nigerians off cheap PMS, also known as petrol.

He said: " It is something that must be done as there are no more viable options. 

"We are told that this year the subsidy bill to the Federal Government may be between N5 trillion and N6 trillion. Clearly, Nigeria cannot afford this. 

"To wean Nigeria off this subsidy, a lot of investment must be done to sensitise Nigerians in convincing them and finding alternatives. 

"We need to begin to remove the subsidy and mitigate the pains Nigerians will feel when petroleum prices begin to manifest their true value."

Adeosun said marketers were optimistic that the industry was headed in the right direction with the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act ( PIA) 2021 which was an excellent piece of legislation.

"We are now at the point of implementation, which is taking a bit longer than hoped but this is not necessarily a bad thing. 

"The President postponed the implementation of free market pricing, which has caused a slowdown with respect to benefits expected from free competitive open market pricing, such as new investments and subsidy removal, " he said.

The MOMAN chairman said the marketers were also very convinced that gas (the decade of gas was declared by the Federal Government in January 2021) was clearly the way forward.

He said however, the increase in gas prices worldwide and the unavailability of the product had made it a little more difficult in the roll out. 

Adeosun said: "The ordinary Nigerian who was meant to transit to gas not just for cooking but also for powering automobiles and power generation is struggling and because PMS pricing is yet to be fully deregulated.

" It creates an aberration and additional challenge for the adoption of gas, as most people are still dependent on cheap PMS for their cars and generators."

According to him, while the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has an important role to play in guiding our future, the best regulator ultimately is the market. 

"The market regulates prices if you are too expensive people would not buy from you. The market regulates quality as well as customer service. The market also rewards the best in class.

"We need to move to an era of transparency and information dissemination. 

"Energy correspondents need to share as much information as possible with the market and public with respect to cost prices, quality, product specifications, customer service and pump prices. 

"That is the best regulation you can ask for," Adeosun said.

Following these remarks, a few panelists present alluded to the point that Nigerians mostly agree with price deregulation. 

They, however noted that the government must cut its costs to reflect present economic realities and adjust just like ordinary Nigerians who are feeling the pinch. 

They said the government could not be seen as spending ostentatiously whilst asking ordinary Nigerians to tighten their belts which drew large agreement from panelists and participants alike.

  

Modular data centres, storage management key to data explosion – Schneider Electric

By Solomon Asowata 

Global energy giant, Schneider Electric, has identified modular data centres, micro data centres and better storage management as key elements to handle future data explosion and achieve sustainability.

Natalya Makarochkina, Senior Vice-President, Secure Power Division, International Operations, Schneider Electric, made this known in a statement posted on the company’s website on Friday.

Makarochkina said the demand for data would continue to increase, adding that Schneider Electric had been committed to a sustainable business for decades.

She said: “Global data production went from estimates of two zettabytes in 2010 to 41 zettabytes in 2019.

“International Data Center (IDC) estimates global data load will rise to a staggering 175 zettabytes by 2025.

“The development of data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) systems has continued apace, allowing the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to take advantage of hardware and infrastructure developments.”

She noted that data explosion was expected to continue to increase with developments such as industrial Internet of Things (IoT), 5G and with increasing general automation and autonomous vehicles as driving factors.

According to her, the data that will be generated, far from the centralised data infrastructure, must be handled, processed and turned into intelligence quickly, where it is needed.

Makarochkina said new data architectures were expected to improve efficiency in how all of that is handled, adding that edge computing is seen as an important approach to manage more data being generated at the edge.

She said for Schneider Electric, this had meant a renewed focus on efficiency in all aspects of design and operation.

“Gains have been made in efficiency in power and cooling, with UPS systems and modular power supplies showing significant gains with each generation, culminating in the likes of the current Galaxy VL line.

“This line’s use of lithium-ion batteries has not only increased efficiency, it has extended operational life and reduced environmental impact in reducing raw materials.

It has facilitated “energised swapping where the addition and/or replacement of power modules can be performed with zero downtime while increasing protection to operators and service personnel,” she said.

Makarochkina, however, explained that efficiency must extend through not just the supply chain, but also throughout lifecycles.

She said vendors, suppliers, and partners must all be engaged to ensure that no part of the ecosystem lags in applying the tools to ensure efficiency.

“This applies as much in the design time of new equipment and applications as it does through working life and decommissioning,” she added. (NAN) 

Ikeja Electric reiterates commitment to metering as 140 graduate from Metering Academy

L-R: Managing Director, Energy Training Centre (ETC), Mrs Ibiene Okeleke; IE Energy Sales Representatives /one of the graduands of IE Metering Academy, Mr Akingbade Adeniyi; Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ikeja Electric, Mrs Sequinat Akinwunmi and Director-General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Mr Bolaji Nagode during the presentation of certificates to IE Metering Academy graduands on Thursday  in Lagos.

Ikeja Electric reiterates commitment to metering as 140 graduate from Metering Academy

Ikeja, Aug.4,2022 (NAN) Ikeja Electric Plc (IE), Nigeria’s leading electricity distribution company, has trained 140 employees to boost metering density and meter management across its network.

Speaking during the presentation of certificates to the graduands, the Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electric, Folake Soetan, said Ikeja Electric Metering Academy was launched in 2020 as a result of shortage in human capacity for the installation of meters, resulting in slow pace of metering across its network. 

The CEO who was represented by Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ikeja Electric, Mrs Sequinat Akinwunmi, said the training was done in collaboration with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) and the Energy Training Centre (ETC).

According to her, the young graduands were selected across Ikeja Electric’s six Business Units - Akowonjo, Shomolu, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Oshodi and Ikorodu.

 Akinwunmi said the essence of the training was to bridge the metering gap in the industry which aligns with the vision of Ikeja Electric, as well as the Federal Government's National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP). 

“The programme will also equip staff to carry out the functions including meter installation, identifying faults and also rectifying the faults. This will in turn improve service delivery, ensure customer satisfaction, and also grow revenue,” she added.

“This programme is very important to us. That is why we have put in a lot of resources and time, and also partnered with NAPTIN and ETC to close up this skill gap in the industry," Akinwunmi further explained. 

While congratulating the graduating students, she tasked them to be worthy ambassadors of Ikeja Electric and adhere to safety standards which is one of the DisCo's core values.

The Managing Director, Energy Training Centre, Mrs Ibiene Okeleke said: “Ikeja Electric had invested heavily in the Metering Academy. 

They partnered with Energy Training Centre (ETC) to ensure the 140 candidates were trained by the Metering Academy, across three batches.

According to her, “The Energy Training Centre had signed a partnership with NAPTIN, which is the sector’s regulated training centre that works with Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

 So, NAPTIN was acting as the certifying body, and as such, they ensured that the programme followed the curriculum and the right content, and there is quality assurance as well. 

And so NAPTIN did not just play this role in certifying, they ensured that the faculty maintained high standard.”

She commended Ikeja Electric for investing massively in such a laudable programme, while noting that the initiative shows the commitment of the company to get people who have the desire to do things the right way.

 She added, “It was also important for us to reflect on the opportunities to increase the revenue of IE through meter data management, optimization of operations and other initiatives.”

The Director-General, NAPTIN, Mr Bolaji Nagode, explained that the institute was saddled with the responsibility to build human capacity and to coordinate training in the power sector. 

He said the training would also help to shore up the DisCo's revenue collection and improve customer satisfaction, apart from increasing the level of efficiency of the graduands.

Speaking on behalf of the graduating students, Mr Akingbade Adeniyi, Mr Tomilayo Oluborode and Ms Gloria Gomina, thanked Ikeja Electric for facilitating the training. 

According to them, they have been equipped on how to install meters, identify meter bypass and meter management among other things which would improve their job performances going forward.(NAN)

Firm to unveil Nigeria’s first instant messaging app, Lets Talk

Ms Folashade Ayeni, Chief Operating Officer, Lets Talk I.T& Communications Company

A Telecommunications firm, Lets Talk I.T and Telecommunications Company, says it is working on launching Nigeria’s first instant messaging application, ‘Lets Talk’ before the end of the third quarter of 2022.

The Chief Operating Officer of the company, Ms Folashade Ayeni made this known while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

Ayeni said the application was designed by a team of Nigerian software engineers in line with the vision of the National Information Technology Development Agency ( NITDA) for indigenous companies to come into the social media space.

She said: “Lets Talk was created out of a need that Nigerians and Africans have.

” If you look at it, sometime last year in October, October 4 To be precise, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram crashed. No one was able to use those applications because of one thing or the other.

“Many people lost money, several people were not able to reach families, friends, relatives and do business normally, because a whole lot of people have taken business and relationship to the social media.

“It crashed for about six hours or so and the reality dawned on us that really, whether it was intentional or not on purpose that we could lose everything.

” " So, we thought about owning our social media platform; where Nigerians can have guaranteed communications, with outmost security, which is  Nigerian owned and indigenous to us and for us in Africa."

Ayeni said the company was aiming to collaborate with NITDA, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other relevant agencies to ensure the success of the application and acceptability by Nigerians.

On the unique features of the app, she said it is end-to-encrypted, allows users to listen and share music, video and audio call, 5,000 member group chat, seven person conference calls and file exchange up to 2GB.

According to her, it also allows for device and cloud caching as well as sharing moments and trends which will give users very pleasant experiences.

She said the application could be downloaded on Google Play and App Store for both android and Apple phones.

Ayeni also explained that the application would be in two parts, Lets Talk Basic which would be a free social media platform while there would be a secondary phase that would be on subscription basis.

“Now, there will be Lets Talk social which is the basic one that everybody knows.
You chat, you speak to people, you do video calls do video conference for free, but there’s a secondary part of it.

“And the secondary part of it is to provide enterprise resource management. So there are people who want to subscribe to that package.

“We are talking about ministries, parastatal agencies, businesses, banks and other sectors that can utilise the platform to improve their businesses and services and that is where value comes in,” she said.

High diesel cost: NARTO seeks review of petrol freight rate

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has called for an upward review of the freight rate for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) due to the high cost of diesel in the country.

NARTO is also asking for access to foreign exchange at official rates for its members for procurement of spare parts for their vehicles to ensure safety and stability in the distribution of petroleum products across Nigeria.

NARTO’s President, Alhaji Yusuf Othman, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Othman said NARTO members were barely surviving as the price of diesel had continued to increase following the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

He said: “Government has to do something urgently about the situation. It is affecting our operations adversely.

“For instance, you fuel a truck with 1,000 litres of diesel, the cost as of today in the market is about N750,000.

“At the end of the day, when you come to Abuja, you are paid N16 per litre for the 45,000 litres you are bringing in which is N720,000.

“That is even less than the cost of the diesel. You have to pay the loading fees, the driver allowance and other costs.

“What we are paid is by far lesser than our expenditure so, how can you cope?

“You cannot survive and some of our members have already parked their trucks and many others will soon join them.”

Othman said the current transport template payable under the N165 per litre petrol pump price was no longer sustainable despite government’s decision to continue subsidy on PMS.

He said apart from depriving the nation of huge funds that could be deployed to other critical areas, it was also encouraging smuggling of petrol across the border to neighbouring countries.

“We believe it is best to fix the price by ourselves but we cannot do that because the pump price remains N165 officially.

“We know the government is doing its best because this problem is not related only to Nigeria.

“The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company is giving us some diesel as palliative at a discounted rate. The marketers too are giving us but for how long can this continue?

“Businesses cannot be sustained on subsidy or palliatives. Businesses should be allowed to run according to market forces.

“The way forward is for government to allow the Petroleum Industry Act to perform maximally to its full potential which include the removal of subsidy on PMS.

“That is the only option because they cannot continue to sustain it,”Othman said