Tender for NLNG Train 7 out in April – NCDMB

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, has said the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited(NLNG) will issue Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the NLNG Train 7 project in April.

In an interview, he said: “Efforts of NCDMB in ensuring that other projects come stream are ongoing. Total is also gearing up to take FID on Preowei which is another significant project. Like NLNG Train 7, we are working hand in glove with NLNG to see that the invitation to tender (ITT) is issued within the next two month to the bidders. All these are projects we have lined up and NCDMB is working hard to see that these projects come on stream so that all those fabrication yards and capacity we have developed in-country will be utilised as soon as possible.

‘’There is hope and opportunity in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”

He said stakeholders in the Preowei oil field operated by Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, were concluding discussions on taking the final investment decision (FID) on Preowei project soon. Preowei, located in oil mining lease (OML) 130, is expected to produce about 70,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) at peak when it comes on stream. The field will be developed as a tie back to the Egina floating production, storage and off loading (FPSO).

Shareholders in the Ikike oil field project in OML 99 offshore Nigeria are also about concluding talks on taking FID on the project. The Ikike field is projected to produce 60,000 barrels of oil per day when it begins operation.

Wabote said: “With all the investments that we see in the oil and gas sector starting from the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo). SNEPCo announced their bidding process for Bonga Southwest/Aparo (BSWA) project in OML 118, and in no distant we will see the project come on stream. The BSWA project, an eight-10 billion dollar project, is huge, especially coming on the back of Ejina project that has just been completed.

“Other projects including Total’s Preowei project, the ExxonMobil’s Owowo field with estimated oil reserves of between 500 and one billion barrels and other projects lined up now, is a testimony that the offshore activities of the Nigerian oil and gas industry are improving.

“We just started first oil in January in Total’s Ejina and if we get into another huge project like BSWA, imagine the level of investment and interest that investors have in the country.’’

OML 130 covers 500 square miles in the Niger Delta and is a deepwater block with water depths ranging from 1,100 to 1,800metres.

Apart from the Preoweifield discovered in 2005, OML 130 contains the Akpo field, which was discovered in 2000, the Egina and Egina South.