NLNG promises to bolster Nigerians’ access to local content.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

Nigeria Liquefied and Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited has stated that it is committed to going above and above the requirements of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) 2010 to ensure that Nigerians receive the maximum benefits from all of its operations.

The assurance was given by Dr. Philip Mshelbila, managing director and chief executive officer of NLNG, while leading a delegation on a courtesy visit to Simbi Wabote, the executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), at the regulator’s headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

In keeping with its corporate mission of becoming “a globally competitive LNG firm working to build a better Nigeria,” Mshelbila stated that NLNG believed Nigerian Content to be an essential component of its strategy. He praised the NCDMB for the productive and long-standing partnership between the regulator and the business, emphasizing the creation of shared value. He used the special Service Level Agreement (SLA) between NLNG and the NCDMB as an illustration of how the Board supports commerce.

Additionally, he thanked the board for helping the Train 7 project launch smoothly and for the seven million safe man hours it just achieved without a Lost-Time Injury event.

Mshelbila emphasized that, in the context of the global energy transition, the support of regulators like the NCDMB would be crucial in ensuring access to, availability of, and affordability of energy for domestic consumption. She noted that NLNG had remained committed to supplying all of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) volumes entirely domestically. He suggested creating an NLNG-NCDMB Technical Working Group that would convene on a regular basis to talk about and resolve such strategic and other operational challenges.

In response, Wabote complimented the NLNG for the smooth leadership transfer while upholding national pride in being led by a senior management team made up entirely of Nigerians.

He gave the assurance that the regulator will continue to work with NLNG to fulfill its obligations related to Nigerian Content in its Train 7 Project, which would have a positive effect on the nation’s manufacturing capability and employment levels. He urged the company to start making plans for Train 8 and supported the notion of a staff exchange program between the two organizations to have a deeper understanding of one another’s internal operations for greater collaboration and business effectiveness.

Wabote asserted that the Board would uphold the terms of its Business-to-Business Service Level Agreement (SLA), which was the first of its kind in the sector and had established a benchmark for reducing the length of the contracting process and enhancing compliance with the NOGICD Act. He urged NLNG to join ongoing NCDMB initiatives to expand LPG distribution and storage in numerous zones of the nation.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (49%), Shell Gas B.V. (25.6%), TotalEnergies Gaz & Electricite Holdings (15%), and Eni International N.A. N. V. S.àr.l. are the four shareholders who own NLNG (10.4per cent).