- Nigeria has commended Savannah Energy for its significant investments in the energy sector, which have bolstered domestic gas supply to about 20 per cent of thermal power generation.
- Minister Ekperikpe Ekpo highlighted the government’s commitment to developing the gas sector as a critical driver of economic growth, with a target for the economy to be gas-driven by 2030. Nigeria has praised Savannah Energy for its significant investments in its energy sector.
During a recent visit to the Uquo Gas Central Processing Facility in Akwa Ibom State, Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo urged the company to maintain its investment initiatives.
Savannah Energy, a British independent energy firm, focuses on delivering impactful projects in Nigeria and other African nations. Ekpo highlighted that the company’s investments had bolstered the domestic gas supply, contributing to approximately 20 per cent of Nigeria’s thermal power generation capacity.
Emphasising the importance of gas for the Nigerian economy, Ekpo noted that President Bola Tinubu is committed to developing the gas sector as a critical driver of economic growth. He stated, “The president is intentional and strategic about developing the gas sector to drive this nation’s economy. We aim to ensure that by 2030, the Nigerian economy will be driven by gas.”
Savannah Energy in Abuja said the company’s Nigeria Managing Director, Pade Durotoye, accompanied the minister during the facility visit. Durotoye revealed that Savannah has invested over $1.6 billion in gas processing and transportation infrastructure to support the domestic market since 2014.
He also announced an additional $45 million investment in a new compression system at the Uquo facility, designed to ensure reliable gas supplies for the future. This system will feature two parallel trains with a capacity of 160 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfpd) each to increase gas export pressure. Completion is expected later this year.
Durotoye reiterated Savannah’s support for the federal government’s adoption of natural gas as a transition fuel in Nigeria’s net-zero strategy, particularly for power generation. He pointed out that Accugas has constructed a 200 MMscfpd gas processing facility, backed by a ~260km gas pipeline network for the domestic market.
The company’s gas is entirely consumed domestically, with 80 per cent supplied to thermal power generation companies and the remainder to large industrial clients, including cement manufacturers. This supports about 10 per cent of the country’s cement production.