The Nigeria LNG (NLNG) joint venture has signed a letter of intent for construction of the plant’s 7th train, with the expansion set to be made official by late October as part of US $12bn project expansion plan.The preliminary agreement for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was signed with SCD JV – a consortium formed by Italin company Saipem, Japanese company Chiyoda corporation and South Korean company Daewoo E&C.
Construction of the 7th train at the Bonny Island LNG facility is scheduled for commissioning in 2024. The project will include a new liquefaction unit, an 84,200m³ storage tank, a 36,000m³ condensate tank and three gas turbine generators. The six-train Bonny LNG plant is located in the Niger Delta.
NLNG Train 7 project
According to Tony Attah, Managing Director for NLNG, the company is making significant progress towards the realization of the extension project. “Intent as it connotes, is a very clear statement that we are forging on with Train 7. The letter of intent is a bold statement that we have selected our preferred bidder for the contract. With Train 7, Nigeria will maintain its place in the global gas market, and NLNG will continue to support the development of our domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) consumption through our commitment of 350 million tonnes to the domestic market,” Attah said.
The project will be owned and operated by Nigeria LNG, a joint venture between Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with 49% stake, Shell Gas with 25.6% interest, Total with 15% stake and Eni with 10.4% interest. Once the deal is approved by Nigerian authorities, Daewoo E&C and its partners will be responsible for the construction of the LNG plant with an annual production capacity of 8 million tonnes and other associated facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria.
Upon completion, the project will increase the Nigeria LNG facility’s total production capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). The project will increase the plant’s liquefaction capacity by 8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), or 35%, to reach 30 million barrels per day (Mmbpd).
The federal government of Nigeria is set to commence construction of the second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
According to the minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, provisions for the construction of the runway will be covered in the 2019 national budget. “The second runway project is in the budget and it will be procured. I will be meeting with the transaction advisers who are in town and get their baseline studies report before we move to the next stage,” he added.
The minister also added that the government has decided to take up the construction of the second runway before handing it over to the concessionaire, following the high cost and will not want the current runway to dilapidate to the initial point that necessitated shutting the airport down.
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
The airport currently has one runway which is 3,609m long and has an asphalt surface. Sirika noted that the second runway became very necessary, following the fact that the Airport was becoming very busy. “Operators would be on ground 20 to 30 minutes waiting to take off or even to land, which is so expensive and very inefficient,” he added.
The project will be among the many transport projects that have been launched by the Federal government of Nigeria as they look forward to ensure that they streamline the transport industry. The new runway will replace the existing 27-year-old runway at the airport.
When completed, the project is expected to improve the air transport system in the country by increasing the number of airlines that will be landing into the airport. Construction of the runway will help in making the airport a hub for Western Africa.
The Delta State government in Nigeria has set aside US $2m for the rehabilitation of degraded federal roads in the state.
According to the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, some of the roads to be rehabilitated by the state government include Benin-Sapele, Benin-Onitsha and Agbor-Abraka-Eku roads. “These are all federal roads but, the good news is that the Federal Government has reached out to us to repair these roads and we are very optimistic that by the time we are done, the Federal Government will attend to us for the purpose of refunds. We are more concerned with the safety of our people and that is why we are committed to fixing these roads which will take more than US $2m,” he said.
The rehabilitation project
He further added that the approval of the project is not only in line with fulfilling the campaign promises of the governor but to consolidate on the successes recorded from the revamped technical schools in the state. “To check the impact of flood on Deltans living in coastal communities, five camps for internally-displaced persons were approved to be set up at Oshimili South, Kwale, Patani, Ozoro and Ashaka,” he affirmed. Mr. Aniagwu said more than 10 camps will be set up depending on the impact of the impending flood on the people.
Upon completion, the road projects development will reduce passenger travel times, vehicle operating costs and traffic related fatalities on targeted federal roads. The project will also assist the state government to manage Nigeria’s federal road assets in a sustainable manner.
In addition to that, the Delta State Executive Council (Exco) approved the construction of 2.3km Belekrukru road, Warri South West. The council also approved construction of 19 technical schools for the local government areas in the state.
Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved US $23m to fund four road projects across the country. Minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola revealed the report and said two of the approvals were to revise the estimates of the cost to enable the contractor continue work.
Mr. Fashola explained that the council endorsed US $1.4m revision of the contract sum of Oba Nnewi Okigwe road to cater for the change in cost of materials since the project was awarded in 2009. The contract sum had been revised from US $10.2bn to US $12m.
Road projects
The second contract involves a revision of estimate for the 67 km Alace-Ugep road in Cross River state from US $44.1m to US $31m, bringing the revised cost to US $6m. The FEC further approved a change of contractor for the Chachangi Bridge linking Takum and Wukari in Taraba state, and the contract was re-awarded at the cost of US $6m.
The fourth road project is reconstruction of Katsina-Ala bridge, awarded US $9.9m. Works involves expansion joints, changing of bearings and rehabilitation of the 3.2 km access road at Ugbema junction.
Nigeria’s annual traffic fatality rate was reported as 5,000 in 2008. A major contributor to this statistic is the poor condition of the roads. The country has 120,546-mile network of roads, the quality of which is generally crumbling because they are poorly maintained. Heavy travel on major roads accelerates the wear, vehicle accidents are very common, and the fatality rate is high.
Potholes are numerous, leading drivers to swerve around them, sometimes putting themselves and those in other vehicles at risk. There are frequent delays when vehicles have to slow down. Lagos, the capital city, is notorious for its slow traffic. Some roads have deteriorated so badly they are impassable.
The government of Nigeria has announced plans to finance construction of 2500 affordable housing units in Bauchi State. Federal Ministry of Finance signed a memorandum of understanding with the Family Home Fund (FHF), the corporate handing the development.
Minister of State, Works and Housing Abubakar Aliyu said that his administration decided to support the project to address accommodation problem in the state and the Federal Government’s target is to cut the 20 million housing deficit in the country by 2033.
Affordable housing units
“The issue of housing cannot be over emphasized due to the importance of it to humanity and we as a government wants to let the people know that we are committed to ensure decent houses are provided and accommodated by our people and Nigerians from far and near,” said Abubakar.
The housing project will be executed across the six emirate councils. According to the United Nations, Nigeria stands at a 180 million population with an annual growth rate of 3% as of 2015 and an urban population growth rate of 5%. Data from the World Bank and the National Bureau of Statistics states that there is a 17 million housing deficit in Nigeria.Globally, 1.6 billion people live in sub standard housing according to UN statistics. In Nigeria, over 100 million of its 180 million citizens live in substandard housing.
Currently, about 3,000 to 6,000 affordable housing are under construction in Nigeria with 1,400 houses in Nassarawa. Mr. Adeyemi Dipeolu, the Special Adviser to the President on Economic said that with hope of Nigerians accessing the housing units under the affordability index, the the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has managed to complete more than 2,000 houses in 72 units across Nigeria.
FHF is a Nigerian government initiative set up last year as a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority as founding shareholders to provide affordable housing for millions of Nigerians in low to medium-income groups.
Nigeria has commenced electrification project in Nasarawa State. The chairman of the council area, Adamu Adi, inaugurated execution of the project and said the project has began as result of financial autonomy granted to local government areas in the country.
The project which is under the Abuja Feeding Scheme, involves a 24 Kilometres electricity connection from the 330KVA national grid to Giza and Kadarko towns. Mr Adamu Adi gave a breakdown of the projects earmarked for execution by the local council area as roofing of the Osana of Keana palace, construction of the Osoku’s palace, connecting Giza and Kadarko towns with the 330KVA national grid, construction of Kwara – Angwan Sida, Aloshi town and Kadarko market side road.
Abuja Feeding Scheme
The Abuja Feeding Scheme’s purpose is to solve the transmission problem in Abuja for the next 20 years. Abuja currently has only two 330kV substations and five 132kV substations. Under the programme, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) will build five new transmission substations in the capital city within 24 months to stabilize electricity supply in the area. the scheme comprises two 330 kilovolt (kV) substations and three 132kV substations, and will take care of power supply challenges in the city.
“This project will include the construction of substations in Lokogoma, Gwarinpa, Kuje, Apo and Lugbe. Meanwhile the substations will be complemented by the construction of a new electricity transmission route from Lafia in Nasarawa State to Abuja, so as to provide the FCT with added power supply advantage,” said Managing Director of TCN, Mr. Usman Mohammed.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Mr. Louis Edozien, said the five substations will add 624MW wheeling capacity to the TCN which could be supplied to residents and businesses in and around Abuja.
According to The Managing Director of the project consultancy firm, OskaJo and Partners, Mr. Joseph Uujamhan, three contractors would handle the project. TBEA and Energo Projekt will build the 330kV transmission lines from Lafia in Nasarawa State to New Apo, then to Old Apo 132/33KV substation, to connect to new substations at Lubge and Kuje in Abuja.
Grid Solutions will build two 330kV substations in New Apo and Lugbe with 600MVA transformer. Sieyuan-Sac will build three 132kV substations in Lokogoma, Kuje and Dawaki (Gwarimpa) area of Abuja.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has secured US $1.06m grant from the United States Trade Department and Administration (USTDA) for rural electrification in Nigeria. AEDC Managing Director (MD), Engr. Ernest Mupwaya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Institute for the project.
The project is in partnership with USTDA and Colorado’s Mountain Institute. Engr. Ernest Mupwaya said that the funds is jeered towards helping the disco to provide electricity to underserved electricity communities through the implementation of the mini-grids. While the USTDA is providing the funds, the Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Institute will carry out the feasibility study on the project.
Rural electrification
“We have designed a strategy which seeks to holistically examine how the obvious huge gaps in the level of electrification can be narrowed. In addition, we are developing and implementing initiatives to improve the quality of supply in urban areas. We are also considering how we can close up the gaps in rural areas where the challenges, some of which include the affordability of electricity, long distances which require extensive network remain unique to these areas,” said Engr. Ernest.
“With this support from the USTDA and Rocky Mountain Institute, we are going to be able to conduct a feasibility study that will identify specific opportunities for different areas so that we can ultimately have bankable solutions, which in turn can facilitate partnerships with other investors. This will enable us to achieve sustainable overall improvement consistent with our desire to provide quality electricity to our franchise area,” he added.
The project involves providing 1,370 solar-powered mini-grids with energy storage systems. The the study will include; the identification of optimal locations for complimentary mini-grid deployments within the catchment area of AEDC, development of an integrated distribution framework that combines the central grid with decentralized off-grid power solutions, which will, where appropriate, include mini-grids, off-grid mini-grids, grid extension projects and solar home systems and support the development of a strategic plan for 100% electrification and 24/7 supply starting from Abuja.
Nigeria is set to commence construction of four oil refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna in January 2020. The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari revealed the report and said that the corporation is determined to ensure the refineries achieve optimum refining capacity by 2022.
“The aim of repairing the refineries is to restore the country’s refining capacity. We are doing everything possible between October and December this year to close out all necessary conditions for us to deliver on the project,”said Mele Kyari.
Largest oil and gas producer in Africa
Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa. Crude oil from the delta basin comes in two types: light, and comparatively heavy the lighter around 36 gravity and the heavier, 20–25 gravity. Both types are paraffinic and low in sulfur.
The four refineries have a combined capacity to refine 445,000 barrels per day of crude oil. However in the last 15–20 years had a poor operating record with average capacity utilization hovering between 15 and 25% per annum.
As a result, 70–80% of the national petroleum products demand is met through import. As at 2017, the aggregate demand of petroleum products in Nigeria was equivalent to 750,000 bpsd.
The four oil refineries
The first refinery in Port Harcourt was commissioned in 1965 to process 60,000 barrels of oil per stream day (bpsd), as well as the second plant commissioned in 1989, which has a capacity of 150,000 bpsd.
Both refineries have a combined capacity of 210,000 barrels per stream day making it the biggest oil refining company in Nigeria. They both had the last Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in 2000. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Italian oil giant, ENI and NNPC which committed to the refurbishment of the both Port Harcourt Refineries
Rehabilitation works will be done be in two phases, with both the ENI and the original participating in the process. At the end of the first phase, the Port Harcourt refinery is projected to reach 60% capacity utilization, increasing to a minimum of 90%.
The decision to construct the third Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) refinery in Kaduna was taken in 1974 along with that of the second NNPC refinery located at Warri. the refinery was designed for a capacity of 60,000 BPSD but modified to produce 100,000 BPSD.
Kaduna proved to be a central location for distributing petroleum products to depots in the northern zone, as the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries proved for the supply of petroleum products to depots in the southern and middle belt zones.
Construction of US $50m church auditorium project in Nigeria nears completion. The church which is being funded by Senior Pastor and founder, Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare is located at First Bank bus stop on Oregun road.
The project dubbed ‘The Citadel’ sits on a one-acre piece of land and is Dome-shaped. It will feature a 3-level basement parking, retaining walls with ground floor and additional four suspended floors and galleries with a helipad.
The Citadel
The complex will also have lecture rooms, counseling hall for first timers, diesel tanks and dumps, electrical device, exit driveways, waste material treatment site, a senate chamber with an expansive workplace for Bakare as the church’s supervisor alongside a picturesque diner/posh restaurant, baptismal pool and a well-kitted beauty parlor, spa and functional gym.
The project has been designed to give give worshipers an ambiance for their vehicles to ramp down to the basement car parks and will sit designer for their convenience. Italian Civil Engineering Giant, Cappa & D’Alberto Plc is the project contractor of the development. Upon completion the church complex will host the Latter Rain Assembly’s international headquarters.
In 2016, Bakare hosted in Lagos a fundraising event for the completion of the ultra-modern worship complex with the likes of his friend and Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai and other dignitaries in attendance. He committed much of his privately-earned income into the completion of The Citadel.
The church’s present expansive assembly at Akilo Road in Ogba, Lagos, which is their only branch in Lagos, would remain there, though, Bakare’s Latter Rain Assembly does not believe in replication of church branches.
Equatorial Guinea is set to construct West Africa’s first LNG storage and regas plant. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons announced the plans and said that the project aims to monetise gas resources through the creation of domestic gas-to-power infrastructure.
The plant will be built by American manufacturer Corban Energy Group and spearheaded by local construction and engineering firm Elite Construcciones. German companies ESC Engineers and Noordtec are also working closely with Elite Construcciones in the design, development and construction of the LNG project.
Akonikien LNG project.
The Akonikien LNG project will have a storage capacity of 14,000 cubic meters with 12 bullet tanks. The tanks will have a capacity of 1,228 cubic meters and dimensions of 31 meters by 9.3 metres by 8.8 metres. Each tank is estimated to require 12 hours to complete the 12,000-metre distance from the port to the new plant.
The storage plant will be located at the Port of Akonikien on the country’s mainland. This will enable the transportation and storage of LNG from the country’s LNG plant at the Punta Europa Gas Complex on Bioko Island, to Akonikien on the southern border of the mainland.
It will then be fed into the regasification plant to be distributed to smaller-scale power plants and LNG power stations throughout the country, as well as exported to neighbouring countries. Elite Construcciones will also install a truck loading station and 12 kilometres of 10-inch gas and diesel pipelines.
West Africa’s first LNG storage and regas plant
“This terminal will be the the first of many upcoming projects under the LNG2Africa initiative. LNG2Africa has a clear objective of developing small-scale LNG projects to supply gas to countries and regions with limited infrastructure,” said Mr. Gabriel.
LNG2Africa initiative was launched by the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons in 2018, the initiative seeks to facilitate the production and trade of LNG through the creation of domestic gas-to-power infrastructure and intra-African LNG industry.
The federal government of Nigeria has announced plans to deliver one million affordable houses every year in bid to address housing deficit in the country.
Minister of state, works and housing, Abubakar Aliyu announced the plans during an inspection of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) mass housing project in Zuba, Federal Capital Territory and said that the government is set to provide enabling environment to attract investors into the housing sector for the project to commence.
Affordable housing
“The government has decided to improve on current construction of 100,000 houses per years in order to meet the basic needs of the people. By delivering one million houses per year, we will close the 17 million housing shortfall by the year 2033. That is the target of government, we are committed to doing that and to ensure that the programmes, policies are accomplished,” said Abubakar.
The minister further affirmed that problems associated with acquisition of lands would be addressed. The houses will be designed specifically for the middle and low income earners both in the public and private sector and the self-employed, once they meet up with the criteria.
Zuba project
The Zuba project is located near the Zuba Model Market, the Zuba Spare Parts Market and the FCT College of Education. The project which was to be completed by August was delayed because of the rainy season. The 764 housing units is at 75% completion stage.
Rising population, rapid urban migration and uncoordinated policy direction of the government are some of the critical factors deepening the housing gap. Building in Nigeria is also very expensive and this is due to the high cost of building materials, high costs of skilled labour, and the costs associated with public infrastructure such as sewers and roads. The high cost of building in Nigeria, as well as lack of proper mortgage finance market, has frustrated the efforts of many Nigerian with stable jobs who want to own a home of their own.
