Mele Kyari

By Jethro Ibileke

The Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari, has disclosed that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), will soon curb importation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), into the country with the daily production of 500,000 barrel per day, for local consumption.

Kyari disclosed this Wednesday during the facilities tour of Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF) in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha local government area ofEdo state.

He disclosed that the plant which would be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in October this year, will take the company’s daily production form the present 260,000 barrels per day to 500,000 barrels per day.

“Around one year ago, NPDC was producing about 136,000 barrels per day. Today, we are producing 260,000 barrels per day. Our target is to take this company to production level of 500,000 barrels per day.

“We have the highest number of rings running in this country. Five rings running at the same time, this will ultimately lead to producing that 500 000 target,” he said.

The NNPC Group GMD who disclosed that all efforts are being geared toward containing importation of LPG, noted that Nigeria is blessed with gas resource and can’t be importing LPG when the nation has all resources.

“Today, we are making about 5 billion scuffs of gas into the entire domestic market, which includes the NLNG supply of about 3.5 billion. The balance of 1.5 billion or a little more than that come to the domestic market. That is shared between power and industries,” he added.

Kyari who said NPDC is a company owned 100 percent by Nigeria and would deliver it to be number one upstream company in this country, noted that the feat was achieved through the support from President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders.

He however listed non-payment for the gas by the power sector and infrastructure as part of challenges facing the company.

Earlier in his welcoming speech, the Managing Director of NPDC, Mansur Sambo, assured that with the plant, gas would now be delivered without interruption into the domestic market.

It would be recalled that contract for the construction of the facility was awarded in 2015, but construction work was delayed till 2017, due to budgetary constraints.