NNPC Signs Heads of Agreement with UTM Offshore for Floating Liquefied Natural Gas, Advancing Domestic Gas Use in Nigeria

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has signed a Heads of Agreement with Nigerian oil and gas business UTM Offshore Limited for the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project, which involves the construction of an FLNG vessel capable of producing 176 million cubic feet of gas per day from the Yoho Field. The agreement details the NNPC's 20% equity contribution to the FLNG project and is a significant step forward in promoting domestic gas utilisation in Nigeria.

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) believes that this is a monumental step towards scaling up access to clean cooking solutions in Africa, with the project and agreement serving as a blueprint for other resource-rich countries across the continent. With the agreement, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will become increasingly accessible to the Nigerian market, thereby reducing the costs of the product while improving health, environmental protection and employment across the country.

The agreement showcases the NNPC’s commitment to ensuring domestic gas resources reap tangible rewards for the local population. According to NNPC Group Managing Director Mele Kyari, “No matter the amount of reserves you have underground, if you haven’t brought it up to the surface, you have done nothing. This is why we are very interested in this project and we are going to do our own part to ensure its success. Be assured that NNPC is solidly behind this project.” (https://apo-opa.info/44RVGaT)

Signed at the NNPC headquartered in Abuja this week, the agreement serves as the next step towards finalizing this important project. The FLNG facility is expected to be complete by 2026 and comprises a turret mooring system, gas pre-treatment modules, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production modules, living quarters, self-contained power generation and utilities alongside storage and offloading. Last year, UTM Offshore inked the Front-End Engineering and Design contract with Kellogg Brown and Root; Japan Gas Corporation; and Technip Energies.

According to Julius Rone, Group Managing Director of UTM Offshore, “Final Investment Decision is expected to be taken in the fourth quarter of 2023 with planned project start-up in the fourth quarter of 2026. When completed, it will produce 1.7 million tons per annum of LNG and 300,000 metric tons of LPG which will be fully dedicated to the domestic market. The project is estimated to provide direct employment for 3,000 Nigerians and indirect employment for an additional 4,000 people. The LPG produced will help bring down the price of cooking gas, improve the socioeconomic well-being of Nigerians, reduce deforestation and carbon emissions.”

Rone believes that the agreement is a testament to the company’s commitment to advancing access to clean cooking solutions in the country. With the new agreement, the partners have formalized the domestic LPG components and have additionally secured the backing of one of the country’s biggest energy firms, the national oil company NNPC.

“The agreement signed between the NNPC and UTM Offshore is a testament to the commitment of the Nigerian government to advancing access to clean cooking solutions in Africa. Nigeria has over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, resources which hold immense opportunities for the country and wider region. Rather than continue with historic trends which would see African oil and gas exported as unprocessed hydrocarbons, both the NNPC and UTM Offshore have prioritized domestic consumption. This project is a milestone development for the country and the Chamber commends the efforts being undertaken by the project partners to get it off the ground,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.