Nigerians in Diaspora tasked on Nigeria's development

Government urged to start Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline project
Obiora Ani, Abuja

The Nigerian Government has been urged to kick start the Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline project to enhance the development of gas infrastructure in the country.

The Senate Committee on Gas made the appeal on Wednesday at a valedictory session with stakeholders in the Oil and Gas sector at the National Assembly, Abuja.

The outgoing Chairman of the Committee, Senator Osita Izunaso, said that the committee was able to bring the issues of Oil and Gas to the front burner in the last four years.

The petroleum Industry Bill

Senator Izunaso added that with the intervention of his committee, gas infrastructure, domestic gas utilization, and gas flare down had received the attention of the Nigerian government.

He said that the National Assembly planned to incorporate the gas flare bill passed by the Senate into the Petroleum Industry Bill being considered by the National Assembly.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Gas appealed to the government to ensure the implementation of the gas master plan, commission a study to know the gas reserve and determine the gas volume in the country.

Mr. Emmanuel Izuegbu, Director Planning and Policy Analysis at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented the Minister, said the Senate Committee on Gas had contributed immensely to the general awareness created in the gas sector. All the major Oil and Gas operators in the country as well as the Directorate of Petroleum Resources attended the meeting.

The project

The idea of the trans-Saharan pipeline was first proposed in the 1970s. On 14 January 2002, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Algerian national oil and gas company Sonatrach signed the Memorandum of Understanding for preparations of the project.

The intergovernmental agreement on the pipeline was signed by energy ministers of Nigeria, Niger and Algeria on 3 July 2009 in

The length of the pipeline would be 4,128 kilometres: 1,037 kilometres in Nigeria, 841 kilometres in Niger, and 2,310 kilometres in Algeria.

The annual capacity of the pipeline would be up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas. It would have a diameter of 48 to 56 inches and it is expected to be operational by 2015.

The investment for the pipeline will be around 10 billion dollars and for gas gathering centers around three billion dollars.

Route
The pipeline will start in the Warri region in Nigeria’s Niger Delta and run north through Niger to Hassi R'Mel in Algeria. In Hassi R'Mel the pipeline will connect to the existing Trans-Mediterranean, Maghreb–Europe, Medgaz and Galsi pipelines.

These supply Europe from the gas transmission hubs at El Kala and Beni Saf on Algeria's Mediterranean coast.

Williams