Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) on Wednesday said it remained committed to reducing emissions and finding cleaner fuels in the country’s energy mix.
A statement issued by Mr Esimaje Brikinn, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs at Chevron Nigeria Limited, quoted Mr Rick Kennedy, Chairman/Managing Director of the oil firm as making the assertion at the ongoing Nigerian International Petroleum Summit in Abuja.
He said CNL has identified opportunities in lowering carbon emissions and harnessing Nigeria’s gas resources as key enablers in complementing the new approaches to future of hydrocarbons in the Nigerian oil and gas industry in the post COVID-19 era.
Kennedy, who was represented by Mr Monday Ovuede, Director, NNPC/CNL Joint Venture, spoke during the CEO Roundtable at the NIPS at the International Conference Centre.
He highlighted the impact of the pandemic on the global oil and gas industry and commended the resilience of the industry operators in sustaining critical production and remaining competitive.
The feat, he said, was achievable through several initiatives such as adoption of digital innovation and leveraging industry collaboration.
Kenedy noted that the global community has continued to scale up the collaboration towards lower carbon emissions, adding that Chevron supports global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and is actively investing in operations to improve environmental performance.
He said the company was also working with industry to develop new innovative technology and best practices to achieve these objectives.
Kenedy emphasized that CNL’s gas strategy is to end routine gas flaring and build a profitable gas business through a portfolio of projects.
He said that in Nigeria, CNL, along with its Joint Venture (JV) partners, has progressively reduced routine gas flaring by over 95 per cent in the past 10 years and remained ahead in terms of maximising supply of gas into the Nigerian domestic market.
Kenedy also highlighted the NNPC/CNL’s Gas Sales and Aggregation Agreements with Egbin Power Plc, Dangote Fertiliser Limited, and Olorunsogo Generation Company Limited as the major gas utilisation projects.
He listed the positive impact of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) through which Nigeria supplies gas to countries in the West African sub-region, specifically, Ghana, Togo, and Benin, thus helping to boost economic development in West Africa.
The CNL MD noted that Chevron has joined other energy companies supporting the Methane Guiding Principles to reduce methane emissions from natural gas exploration and production operations.
The initiative is achieved through digital innovation and deployment of best practices, which include designing, constructing, and operating its facilities in a manner to reduce emissions from its operations.
According to him, the new approaches to future of hydrocarbons involve the development of robust policies and regulations to address and remedy existing challenges in the oil and gas industry.
The approaches include application of digital technology/innovations; cost efficiency initiatives; sustained social investments and continued support for Nigerian Content Development.
According to him, for the last 10 years, CNL has spent an estimated annual average of $1 billion on Nigerian suppliers and service providers in line with its commitment to Nigerian Content Development.
Participants at the roundtable included the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari, Chairman, Shell companies in Nigeria/MD SPDC, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, MD/CE, Total Nigeria E&P, Mr. Michael Sangster.
Others are Managing Director, ENI Nigeria, Mr. Daniele Roberto, MD/CEO, Nigeria LNG Limited, Mr. Tony Attah and Chief Executive, OVH Energy Marketing Ltd, Mr. Huub Stokman.
The keynote address was delivered by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.
