French oil giant, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) , said it had completed work on one of its facilities that transports gas to a major power plant, Alaoji Power Plant, situated in Abia State.
According to a statement credited to the company, a section of its Northern Option Pipeline (NOPL) has been completed and now set to transport gas to the National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP) at Alaoji, along the Imo River, in Abia State. The company anticipated that conclusion of work on the facility and its readiness to wheel gas to its dedicated destination would further boost Federal Government’s objectives of improving electric power supply in the country.
Elisabeth Proust, Managing Director of Total E&P Nigeria, commenting on the development, stated that the project was a clear demonstration of the company’s commitment to deliver ‘Better Energy’. The NOPL is a 24 inch wide, 50 km long pipeline under construction by Total E&P Nigeria Ltd on behalf of the NNPC/TEPNG Joint Venture.
When fully completed later this year, the project will deliver 100 million cubic feet of gas per day to this strategic power plant. It will be recalled that in an effort to ensure early gas supply to newly built power plants, the Federal Government requested Total E&P Nigeria Ltd (TEPNG) to complete a section of the NOPL from kilometre 38 (at Obigbo) to Km 50 at Imo-River where the line connects to Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) facilities.
This is the point that allows gas inflow to the Alaoji Power Plant and the intervention for early gas required that TEPNG mobilised additional resources to fast track the works in order to meet the deadline despite numerous changes associated with the difficult terrain.
The gas now being supplied to the Alaoji Power Plant during this interim period will come from Seven Energy, while NGC will transport the gas through their pipeline and the section of our NOPL.
