Category: Energy

By Agency Reporter

The Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Alhaji Usman Gur says the Federal Government in collaboration with international donor agencies has set aside over 1.61 billion dollars to ensure constant power supply in the country.

Gur, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the TCN revealed this on Sunday in Kano while briefing newsmen at the Kumbotso power sub-station.

According to him, the project will be carried out under the Transmission Rehabilitation Expansion Programme.
“We are rehabilitating and expanding to degree 20, 000 Mega Watts by 2022 across the country,” he said.

He noted that, the federal government has already earmarked about N32 billion to compensate Nigerians whose lands, houses and farms could be affected by the Righ-Of-Way to create Power Lines for the execution of the project.

“The total amount that we are going to pay for compensation across the country is about N32 billion. And the total project cost is 1.61 billion dollars. The project will be supported by various international donors.

“The compensation for right-of-way from Kumbotso sub-station to Rimi Zagara will cost about N3 billion. We have not completely validated it. The total cost for compensation across the country being provided by the Federal Government, ” he said.

Gur who is also the chairman of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) Committee Executive Board stated that he led the TCN team to Kano to validate and look at the route that ran from the Kumbotso Transmission sub-station to Rimi Zakara.

“You know we are going to connect Rimi Zakara to this sub-station (Kumbotso). Rimi Zakara is the place we are putting another 330 KV Sub-station, just like this one in Kumbotso.”

“The mistake that happened in the past is that we normally award contract for line without doing the study. You know the study will establish who are the people under the right-of-way; and who are those people that are going to be affected by the lines.

“So, we are supposed to have come up with those people and pay them their compensation.

“Unfortunately, this contract was awarded many years, even before I came. It is not only this one, many of them are like that. They awarded the contracts without the payment of compensation.

“That is why now, we are trying to pay the compensation, we are validating it, but we also need to tell people that this takes time, because right now, we have over 1000 people who need to be compensated within Kano alone.

“That is why I am here, I will go through the routes and see exactly what are in the right-of-way. We are actually collaborating with Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje because some people who have land on the right-of-way are seeking for relocation.

“We are going to request to the governor to relocate them and give them land in some other places so that we can build the line,” he said.

According to him, “what we are doing for Kano state, actually is that we are trying to change the game. It is what you call game changer. Right now, the only line that supplies Kano is the 330 Single-Sighted Line that run from Kaduna to Kano.

“We are bringing a Code Line from Kaduna to Kano. Now, you know we need to get a source of supply to transport the line from Kaduna to Kano. When I came newly in February, 2017, the line between Jos and Kaduna was funded only 10 per cent, but today the line is 98 per cent completed.

“That means we have bulk power at the double-sighted line apart from the Single-sighted line from Jos to Kaduna. Then from Shiroro to Kaduna, we have two Single-sighted lines; none of them can carry more than 300 Mega Watts.

“We are taking one of them and we are going to construct it into a Code Line, ” he said.

He further explained that those projects, particularly, the one from Shiroro to Kaduna, the procurement of that line is about 80 Per Cent completed and it is funded by French Development Agency.

Gur added that from Kaduna to Kano, TCN is building a Code Line, adding that the public information, this is the first time in the history of Nigeria that TCN is doing 330 Code Line.

He said this mean it is going to carry, four Conductors per pair, which is expected to bring 2,400 Mega Watts of power.

Read Also: TCN, Eko Atlantic seal deal on 1000Mw power supply

“Now, I will also want to tell you that we want to change the game here completely. So, there is a line we are building from Kainji to Birnin Kebbi, Benin Kebbi to Sokoto; and also from Katsina to Daura, Daura to Gwiwa and from Gwiwa to Jogana. That line is also funded by AFD that is French Development Agency.

“In fact, the line from Katsina to Daura, Daura to Gwiwa, Gwiwa to Jogana is going to evacuate the Solar IPP in Gwiwa which is going to be the like of the Marrakech Solar IPP in Morocco”, Gur assured.

According to him, on that line, the European Union gave the TCN a grant, which is free money for the Nigerian government, worth about 25 million Euros.

“Now we are working to close the link between Sokoto to Kaura Namoda, and Kaura Namoda to Katsina. Now, if you complete this line from Kumbotso Sub-station to Rimi Zakara, that line also went to Katsina; which means from Kainji, you can feed Kano through Sokoto, Katsina, Daura and Gwiwa.

“We also have another line that is coming from Kaduna to Kano. I also want to tell you that we sent a proposal to the West African Power Pool, and it was approved by the Committee of Heads of State and Government on Dec. 22, 2018 where President Muhammadu Buhari chaired that meeting.

“We have approved another line that will come from Calabar. It will come from Ikon to Ogoja to Kasimbula, to Mambilla,bto Jalingo, down to Yola, and move to Hong, to Biu, to Damaturu, Potiskum, Azare, to Dutse, and then to Jogana in Kano.

“This is another 330 Double-sighted line. This very line is under what we call multi-national project. This project is under the ECOWAS project.

He explained that government is working towards launching the study.
“This is what I have pre-planned before I left Abuja to Kumbotso sub-station here in Kano.

“This means we are going to have another Double-sighted line that will come to Kano, which means Kano will be supplied from three sources: through Sokoto, through Kaduna, and then through Calabar.

“When this is done, it then means that we have solved the problem of bulk electricity supply to Kano, and this is what we are doing. And that will place Kano on a status we call MNS2, meaning if 2, 330KV Double-sighted line goes out, Kano will still receive supply of electricity,” he said.

He added:“however, I will require the support of the people of Kano because all these things we are doing need some level of sacrifices from the good people of Kano state, because definitely, those lines will pass through people’s houses, lands, and farms.

“Therefore, people have to make sacrifice. When you don’t make sacrifice, there is no way we can solve the problem of electricity.

“I can tell you that the difference between development and lack of development or the difference between poverty and prosperity in any part of the world is actually electricity; and that is why we are doing all these so that we can solve the problem of electricity in Kano,” he said. (NAN)

MAN Energy Solutions has been awarded a contract to supply three gas turbine generator packages to Belema Oil Producing Limited (BPL).

Its power generation technology achieves an important milestone with the first MGT gas turbine heat and power systems to be installed in Africa. Three packages with the proven single-shaft MGT6000 gas turbine technology will deliver around 20 megawatts (Mw) to a power plant, which supplies heat and power to BPL’s oil & gas facilities 30 miles southwest of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The order for MAN was placed by American EPC and equipment exporter Combustion Associates Inc. (CAI). Together with Exterran Corporation, the company is responsible for the engineering, manufacturing and installation of the overall project.

“We have seen the exceptional quality and performance of MAN MGT6000 gas turbines and are confident in placing our first order for them. This is the beginning of a long-term partnership between CAI and MAN and we plan to work together on other power projects in Africa, which is CAI’s key market,” said Mukund Kavia, CAI Chairman.

“We are honored to collaborate with CAI on this important power generation project in Nigeria. This latest contract award and the recently commissioned MGT gas turbines trains in China prove that the benefits of MAN’s technology solution are being recognized by the market,” says Sebastian Könning, Project Manager Sales for Gas Turbines at MAN Energy Solutions.

Dr. Sven-Hendrik Wiers, Vice President Gas Turbines at MAN Energy Solutions, states: “Both low emissions and high efficiency are becoming increasingly important for gas turbines in the market. With the state-of-the-art MGT technology, our company is able to fulfill the demands and provide a gas turbine family optimised for decentral, flexible and at the same time highly-efficient power generation solution with minimum emissions.”

The MAN turbine technology will deliver around 20 MW of power, using Dry Low Emission technology and natural gas as a low-emission fuel. The system also features specifically modified intake air-cooling in order to guarantee a flawless operation despite the high temperatures on site. The set-up comprising three gas turbines trains enables a flexible load profile for the operator.

All trains are equipped with an ATU Box (Analytics Telemetrie Unit), which is connected to the new digital platform MAN CEON. The system collects and evaluates operating and sensor data and enables the customer to monitor the machine’s operation around the clock and easily request advice for remote support.

MAN Energy Solutions was able to meet the customer need for fast deployment – the delivery of the machines are planned for November 2019. All gas turbines are manufactured in Oberhausen (Germany) and the packaging is done at MAN’s Chinese workshop in Changzhou.

CAI’s order continues the successful story of MAN’s gas turbine business beyond the Chinese market, where recently four gas turbine generator packages have been put into operation in cogeneration plants. The Combined Heat and Power processes (CHP) replace the former coal-based plants, resulting in a significant emission reduction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) operates the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC/CNL joint venture. In this report by EMEKA UGWUANYI, CNL lists its contributions to the advancement of Nigerian Content Development (NCD) as well as economic and social development.

Over the years, CNL has continued to add value and partner with Nigeria. Chevron plays an active role in the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), working closely with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and legislators on Nigerian Content Development (NCD) issues.

Chevron said it has a four-prong approach to NCD – which is inspired by the commitment to ensuring Nigerian entrepreneurs (both at the community and state levels) acquire the right competencies and capabilities to compete for business opportunities with their contemporaries at national and international levels. The approach includes selection of qualified local contractors; facilitation of partnerships and alliances between indigenous companies and foreign firms; capacity building; and development of local competencies.

Chairman/Managing Director, CNL, Jeff Ewing, explains the company’s stance on NCD thus: “At Chevron Nigeria Limited, we demonstrate our commitment to the socio-economic development of Nigeria by building mutually-beneficial partnerships, and supporting the policies of government on Nigerian Content Development. We have helped in building the capacities of several Nigerian businesses by allocating substantial scopes of our major capital projects to Nigerian companies. Chevron is also helping to grow the Nigerian economy by contributing to the development of communities in the areas of our operation. We do all this, not just because it is required by the law, but because it is the right thing to do.”

The various areas in which Chevron implements the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in Nigeria include human capacity development, facility fabrication, construction and installations. Others include support for facility acquisition, facilitation of partnerships between local and foreign contractors, and provision of opportunities for local community contractors through work scope allocation in Chevron’s major capital projects in Nigeria.

On human capacity development, Chevron completed construction training for 161 Nigerians on welding, fabrication and craft at Nigerdock facility, Snake Island, Lagos for its Sonam Development Project. Also on the Agbami Phase 3 Development Project, Chevron sponsored four Nigerian engineers for subsea engineering training in France in partnership with NCDMB and Technip Offshore Nigeria Limited. The training also included two visits to manufacturing plants in France and Norway. Chevron is currently training six young Nigerian engineers in subsea engineering at FMC Technologies facility, Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) Onne, Rivers State. In addition, five Nigerian engineering graduates sponsored by CNL, also completed subsea training at Marine Platforms Limited in Port Harcourt. One of the trainees was offered full-time employment with Marine Platforms Limited (MPL) as a Marine Cadet.

CNL’s accomplishments in human capital development include training 14 earth science graduates in two batches under the 12-month skills acquisition programme initiated by NCDMB. CNL also offered scholarships to Nigerian seamen for dynamic positioning training at PEM Offshore Limited, a marine training facility with a contract worth $1 million and collaborated with NCDMB to assist over 600 community graduates to register in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS). CNL also awarded $180,000 contract to a local consulting firm, Lonadek Nigeria Limited, to develop and pilot an industry-first capacity building initiative for drilling and completion professionals.

On fabrication, construction and installation, Chevron facilitated the assembly by FMC Technologies of the first assembled-in-Nigeria Subsea Horizontal Xmas Tree and the fabrication in Nigeria of Agbami production manifolds for the Agbami Phase 3 Project by FMC Technologies/Aveon Offshore Nigeria Limited. Chevron also facilitated the safe, timely and successful installation of subsea equipment like flexible flowlines, umbilicals and jumpers on Agbami Phase 3 project by a Nigerian contractor – Marine Platforms Limited.

It is on record that CNL facilitated the fabrication and load out of Offshore Platform Topsides and Bridge Connection for the Sonam Non-Associated Gas Well Platform (NWP) by Nigerdock Plc.; the fabrication and load-out of the Okan PRP Topsides; Bridge Fabrication of Okan PRP jacket by Globestar in partnership with Idmon Engineering and Construction Co. Limited; Installation of 32km 24″ Sonam to Okan NWP pipeline by West African Ventures Limited; and the coating of the pipes used for the Sonam Development Project and Escravos Export System Project (EESP) by Pipe Coaters Nigeria Limited.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Kesiye Wabote highlighted Chevron’s NCD achievements during the recent passing out ceremony of earth science graduate-interns that were trained by Chevron. He said:  “In terms of fabrication, Chevron has done a lot. I am sure you heard about the Sonam project which was done in Nigeria. A lot of the fabrication happened here, a lot of the engineers that were on that project are Nigerians. You also hear about the pipeline project Chevron is currently executing – the contractors are Nigerians and most of the vessels that are deployed for that project are owned by Nigerians. So, I think human capacity development-wise they (CNL) have done a lot on fabrication as well as logistic services and trickling that down to community participation in their operations.

“They (CNL) has a very robust system which I think the rest of industry should try to emulate which is the GMoU process. That has been a game changer in the community/IOC relationship. They started it and I am sure other companies have also latched on to the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU). So, I think that Chevron is perhaps a shining star amongst a lot.”

Also, the Agbami project set industry standards by fabricating more than 10,000 tonnes of steel with Nigerian fabrication companies, the highest ever recorded in Nigeria. Chevron also trained 105 Nigerian engineers from 21 engineering companies in South Korea. The Escravos Gas Project (EGP) has employed over 1,800 Nigerians and sourced millions of dollars’ worth of services – engineering, procurement, fabrication and marine, among others, locally.

The Escravos Gas-to-Liquids (EGTL) project, also, provided employment to more than 15,000 Nigerians during the construction phase of the project. In addition, the project awarded huge sub-contracts to local community contractors, sent 234 Nigerians on a 30-month training program in South Africa at the Synthetic Fuel Facilities of Sasol and trained over 7,000 Nigerians in Technical Skill Crafts, Plant Operation and Maintenance, Business and Project Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) processes. CNL demonstrated unprecedented support for the local barite mining industry by donating barite mining equipment worth $1.4 million and training to the Association of Miners and Producers of Barite (AMAPOB) to boost the supply and quality of local barite, reduce importation of barite and create jobs for the local communities.

 

There appears to be no solution in sight to the problem of national grid collapse and its attendant effects on the power sector. The inability of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to procure the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology has been identified as the major setback to solving the problem. With SCADA, TCN would monitor sub-stations across the country and avert grid collapse, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

In less than six years after the unbundled assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was privatised and sold to investors, the country has recorded 100 cases of partial or total collapses of the grid.

The last one was in June, when the grid collapsed on twice. It was as a result of failure of the Benin substation to perform well. However, the effects of the collapses are still being felt by the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) on one hand and businesses on the other hand, that were affected by the power outages that happened as a result of the incidents.

More of such cases are coming due to inability of the Transmission Company of Nigeria to deploy Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), the technology, which would help in accessing the operation of the transmission substations and subsequently avert grid collapse.

Though TCN has its own challenges such as obsolete equipment, weak infrastructure, hitches in importation of transmission accessories, poor funding, and non-payment of compensation to the communities for Right of Way (RoW), among others.

Estimated to cost $5million including offshore training of at least fifteen officials of TCN on how to handle the device, the non-availability of the device poses a threat to the operation of TCN and by extension the economy, which suffers the consequences of grid collapse.

One major area in which absence of SCADA inhibits the operation of the sector is that it makes monitoring of activities on the grid difficult for TCN and as a result, detection of faults on the grid would not be possible.

Speaking on the issue, the Managing Director, TCN, Mr. Usman Mohammed, said collapse of the grid has been due to the absence of SCADA in the country. He said TCN would need $5million to fix the technology in the sector, adding that the device would be available in the country in the next two to three years.

TCN, he said, has segmented the use of SCADA by starting with the Automated Meter Reading (AMR), adding that through this means energy would be accurately metered in a way that all market participants would have access to it.

Taking a cue from South Africa, Mohammed said that TCN intends to deploy the technology for maximum use with a view to prevent cases of grid collapse in the foreseeable future.

Mohammed further said TCN would spend $5million to digitalise the control rooms across the sub-stations nationwide, adding that the idea would significantly enhance the operation of SCADA.

In a related development, the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Mr. Sunday Oduntan, acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Government to ensure that TCN operates efficiently.  He, however, said the decision by the management of TCN to reverse its inefficiency will not occur overnight.

He said: “The decision by the management of TCN to reverse 62 years of inefficiency and underfunding in the transmission subsector of the energy sector cannot happen overnight. The reason is because of some salient issues, which need several years before they can be sorted out. One of them is grid collapse, which has become a common phenomenon in the Nigerian electricity industry.

“To solve the issue of grid collapse in Nigeria, TCN should try and put in place a technology known as SCADA. Through this, activities in the transmission cycle will be well monitored.”

According to him, TCN was responsible for the incessant grid collapse in the country because it does not have protective network mechanisms.

He said the trend of burnt transmission stations and failed transmission substations incidents in Lagos, Abuja, Calabar and Onitsha, within a year, was due to inadequate transmission protective mechanism and procedures, urging TCN to put in place strategies to avert situations whereby grid would be collapsing in the nearest future.

He said a myriad of commercial and technical losses normally arise anytime TCN is having challenges managing energy on its grid.

On SCADA, Oduntan advised TCN to fast-track the issue of procurement of the technology in order to curb incidence of grid collapse in the country, adding that TCN would be able to monitor events on the grid, whenever the technology is in place.

The Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies (AGPC), Dr Joy Ogaji, said the problems in the energy sector are interwoven because the three major stakeholders in the value chain experience similar problems. She said the GenCos, DisCos and TCN in a way have problems directly or indirectly.

On transmission, she said the issue is affecting the sector because the three key players in the value chain are affected.

Similarly, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has accused TCN of being solely responsible for the numerous collapse of the grid in the country. The firm said failure of TCN to procure SCADA is having adverse effects on its operation.

Its Spokesperson, Mrs Angela Adekunle, in a statement made available to The Nation, said the industry would have rid itself of cases of grid collapse and the attendant effects on the entire industry. She said a total system collapse, which occurred on June 30th this year, affected all the franchise areas of the firm. The areas, Adekunle said, include Ogun, Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oshogbo and other towns.

She said TCN can only curb cases of grid collapse, when it acquires and deploys SCADA in the sector. Until TCN has SCADA in place, the issue of collapse of the grid would continue as well as affect the output of the three major operators in the value chain – the generation companies, the distribution companies and the transmission company.

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company spokesman, Mr Emeka Eze, said grid collapse has an undesirable consequences on the economy, stressing that the rampant cases of grid collapse in Nigeria has affected the operation of the power firms and businesses in the country. He said the collapse of the grid, in June this year, affected some places under the franchise of Enugu DisCo.

Industry players have proffered solutions to the challenges facing the downstream operation of the petroleum sector. The experts noted that digitilisation of the industry, among others, will address the problems, writes AFOLABI IDOWU.

With new refineries coming on stream and old ones billed for overhaul, experts have stressed the need for government and private players to ensure that digital technologies are deployed for improved process safety, and asset performance.

These, will in turn, reduce unplanned shutdowns and establish predictive maintenance with condition-based implementation by merging technology and maintenance data.

While research has revealed that digitalisation could be a source of positive change, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome to realise its full potential for both downstream businesses and the Nigerian society. The increase in automated processes and systems has created new risks around data privacy and security; and this has forced downstream businesses to grapple with challenges related to changing customer expectations, cultural transformation, out-dated regulation and skill shortages – to name a few.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), recently revealed that daily consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, remained unknown, but experts argued that the high level of fraud committed across retail outlets, and challenges associated with haulage of products in-country, can be addressed if digital technology is deployed. Interestingly, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) recently commenced the gradual phase-out of manual measurements of fuel at petrol stations.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, after conducting a surveillance of petrol stations, Zonal Controller, Abuja Office of the DPR, Mr. Buba Abubakar, said the agency has identified three focal areas in its quest to restore sanity in the downstream petroleum industry. “We are going to look at diversion, hoarding and under-dispensing very well because they are cheating the public in terms of under-dispensing. We are going to look at these three things,” Abubakar said.

Despite all these challenges facing downstream petroleum industry, there are still a few emerging companies determined to improve the downstream operations sector of which one is Enyo Retail and Supply. Enyo Retail’s Chief Executive Officer, Abayomi Awobokun, revealed in Lagos that the company was determined to pioneer the digitalisation of Nigeria’s downstream operations.

“Digitilisation is the future of downstream operational efficiency and most of the recent excitement in the sector would come under that heading. Smart stations are being built; the competence of employees of the station is expected to increase; while things like inventory control, management and supplies are now being done automatically and that for me is great,” Awobokun said.

Our Reporter

MAN Energy Solutions has been awarded a contract to supply three gas turbine generator packages to Belema Oil Producing Limited (BPL).

Its power generation technology achieves an important milestone with the first MGT gas turbine heat and power systems to be installed in Africa. Three packages with the proven single-shaft MGT6000 gas turbine technology will deliver around 20 megawatts (Mw) to a power plant, which supplies heat and power to BPL’s oil & gas facilities 30 miles southwest of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The order for MAN was placed by American EPC and equipment exporter Combustion Associates Inc. (CAI). Together with Exterran Corporation, the company is responsible for the engineering, manufacturing and installation of the overall project.

“We have seen the exceptional quality and performance of MAN MGT6000 gas turbines and are confident in placing our first order for them. This is the beginning of a long-term partnership between CAI and MAN and we plan to work together on other power projects in Africa, which is CAI’s key market,” said Mukund Kavia, CAI Chairman.

“We are honored to collaborate with CAI on this important power generation project in Nigeria. This latest contract award and the recently commissioned MGT gas turbines trains in China prove that the benefits of MAN’s technology solution are being recognized by the market,” says Sebastian Könning, Project Manager Sales for Gas Turbines at MAN Energy Solutions.

Dr. Sven-Hendrik Wiers, Vice President Gas Turbines at MAN Energy Solutions, states: “Both low emissions and high efficiency are becoming increasingly important for gas turbines in the market. With the state-of-the-art MGT technology, our company is able to fulfill the demands and provide a gas turbine family optimised for decentral, flexible and at the same time highly-efficient power generation solution with minimum emissions.”

The MAN turbine technology will deliver around 20 MW of power, using Dry Low Emission technology and natural gas as a low-emission fuel. The system also features specifically modified intake air-cooling in order to guarantee a flawless operation despite the high temperatures on site. The set-up comprising three gas turbines trains enables a flexible load profile for the operator.

All trains are equipped with an ATU Box (Analytics Telemetrie Unit), which is connected to the new digital platform MAN CEON. The system collects and evaluates operating and sensor data and enables the customer to monitor the machine’s operation around the clock and easily request advice for remote support.

MAN Energy Solutions was able to meet the customer need for fast deployment – the delivery of the machines are planned for November 2019. All gas turbines are manufactured in Oberhausen (Germany) and the packaging is done at MAN’s Chinese workshop in Changzhou.

CAI’s order continues the successful story of MAN’s gas turbine business beyond the Chinese market, where recently four gas turbine generator packages have been put into operation in cogeneration plants. The Combined Heat and Power processes (CHP) replace the former coal-based plants, resulting in a significant emission reduction.

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) operates the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC/CNL joint venture. In this report by EMEKA UGWUANYI, CNL lists its contributions to the advancement of Nigerian Content Development (NCD) as well as economic and social development.

Over the years, CNL has continued to add value and partner with Nigeria. Chevron plays an active role in the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), working closely with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and legislators on Nigerian Content Development (NCD) issues.

Chevron said it has a four-prong approach to NCD – which is inspired by the commitment to ensuring Nigerian entrepreneurs (both at the community and state levels) acquire the right competencies and capabilities to compete for business opportunities with their contemporaries at national and international levels. The approach includes selection of qualified local contractors; facilitation of partnerships and alliances between indigenous companies and foreign firms; capacity building; and development of local competencies.

Chairman/Managing Director, CNL, Jeff Ewing, explains the company’s stance on NCD thus: “At Chevron Nigeria Limited, we demonstrate our commitment to the socio-economic development of Nigeria by building mutually-beneficial partnerships, and supporting the policies of government on Nigerian Content Development. We have helped in building the capacities of several Nigerian businesses by allocating substantial scopes of our major capital projects to Nigerian companies. Chevron is also helping to grow the Nigerian economy by contributing to the development of communities in the areas of our operation. We do all this, not just because it is required by the law, but because it is the right thing to do.”

The various areas in which Chevron implements the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in Nigeria include human capacity development, facility fabrication, construction and installations. Others include support for facility acquisition, facilitation of partnerships between local and foreign contractors, and provision of opportunities for local community contractors through work scope allocation in Chevron’s major capital projects in Nigeria.

On human capacity development, Chevron completed construction training for 161 Nigerians on welding, fabrication and craft at Nigerdock facility, Snake Island, Lagos for its Sonam Development Project. Also on the Agbami Phase 3 Development Project, Chevron sponsored four Nigerian engineers for subsea engineering training in France in partnership with NCDMB and Technip Offshore Nigeria Limited. The training also included two visits to manufacturing plants in France and Norway. Chevron is currently training six young Nigerian engineers in subsea engineering at FMC Technologies facility, Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) Onne, Rivers State. In addition, five Nigerian engineering graduates sponsored by CNL, also completed subsea training at Marine Platforms Limited in Port Harcourt. One of the trainees was offered full-time employment with Marine Platforms Limited (MPL) as a Marine Cadet.

CNL’s accomplishments in human capital development include training 14 earth science graduates in two batches under the 12-month skills acquisition programme initiated by NCDMB. CNL also offered scholarships to Nigerian seamen for dynamic positioning training at PEM Offshore Limited, a marine training facility with a contract worth $1 million and collaborated with NCDMB to assist over 600 community graduates to register in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS). CNL also awarded $180,000 contract to a local consulting firm, Lonadek Nigeria Limited, to develop and pilot an industry-first capacity building initiative for drilling and completion professionals.

On fabrication, construction and installation, Chevron facilitated the assembly by FMC Technologies of the first assembled-in-Nigeria Subsea Horizontal Xmas Tree and the fabrication in Nigeria of Agbami production manifolds for the Agbami Phase 3 Project by FMC Technologies/Aveon Offshore Nigeria Limited. Chevron also facilitated the safe, timely and successful installation of subsea equipment like flexible flowlines, umbilicals and jumpers on Agbami Phase 3 project by a Nigerian contractor – Marine Platforms Limited.

It is on record that CNL facilitated the fabrication and load out of Offshore Platform Topsides and Bridge Connection for the Sonam Non-Associated Gas Well Platform (NWP) by Nigerdock Plc.; the fabrication and load-out of the Okan PRP Topsides; Bridge Fabrication of Okan PRP jacket by Globestar in partnership with Idmon Engineering and Construction Co. Limited; Installation of 32km 24″ Sonam to Okan NWP pipeline by West African Ventures Limited; and the coating of the pipes used for the Sonam Development Project and Escravos Export System Project (EESP) by Pipe Coaters Nigeria Limited.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Kesiye Wabote highlighted Chevron’s NCD achievements during the recent passing out ceremony of earth science graduate-interns that were trained by Chevron. He said:  “In terms of fabrication, Chevron has done a lot. I am sure you heard about the Sonam project which was done in Nigeria. A lot of the fabrication happened here, a lot of the engineers that were on that project are Nigerians. You also hear about the pipeline project Chevron is currently executing – the contractors are Nigerians and most of the vessels that are deployed for that project are owned by Nigerians. So, I think human capacity development-wise they (CNL) have done a lot on fabrication as well as logistic services and trickling that down to community participation in their operations.

“They (CNL) has a very robust system which I think the rest of industry should try to emulate which is the GMoU process. That has been a game changer in the community/IOC relationship. They started it and I am sure other companies have also latched on to the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU). So, I think that Chevron is perhaps a shining star amongst a lot.”

Also, the Agbami project set industry standards by fabricating more than 10,000 tonnes of steel with Nigerian fabrication companies, the highest ever recorded in Nigeria. Chevron also trained 105 Nigerian engineers from 21 engineering companies in South Korea. The Escravos Gas Project (EGP) has employed over 1,800 Nigerians and sourced millions of dollars’ worth of services – engineering, procurement, fabrication and marine, among others, locally.

The Escravos Gas-to-Liquids (EGTL) project, also, provided employment to more than 15,000 Nigerians during the construction phase of the project. In addition, the project awarded huge sub-contracts to local community contractors, sent 234 Nigerians on a 30-month training program in South Africa at the Synthetic Fuel Facilities of Sasol and trained over 7,000 Nigerians in Technical Skill Crafts, Plant Operation and Maintenance, Business and Project Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) processes. CNL demonstrated unprecedented support for the local barite mining industry by donating barite mining equipment worth $1.4 million and training to the Association of Miners and Producers of Barite (AMAPOB) to boost the supply and quality of local barite, reduce importation of barite and create jobs for the local communities.

By Our Reporter

Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) has inaugurated its franchise centres at Olowora, Ikosi,  Arepo, Bariga, Ketu and Ogudu, as part strategy to extend its customer footprint and provide ease of access to services,

The Ikeja Electric Franchise project, a business strategy aims at facilitating engagements and customer experience for spot-on resolution of complaints, in partnership with its corporate partners, will take-off at six (6) locations within the Shomolu Business Unit network.

In addition, the project, which will further be extended across the company’s network coverage area, will also assist in creating employment for Nigerians

Explaining the advantages of the franchising strategy, IE’s Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Folake Soetan, said the commissioned franchises will increase the Ikeja Electric brand visibility and also cater for the increasing customer base across the Business Unit as well as serve as data gathering centers for its customers.

“Ikeja Electric will work closely with the franchisees to ensure the standards set by the company to provide excellent customer service and satisfaction is maintained by the franchisees” she maintained.

Soetan noted that the strategy is a veritable model for creating employment opportunities in line with the company’s support for nation building, which ultimately translates to economic prosperity.

“We are also passionately positioning the company in providing corporate support to fulfil the government’s aspiration towards creating employment opportunities and this we believe is in line with our social responsibilities as a corporate entity”, he explained.

Deployment of the franchise-connect touch points is phased, beginning with Shomolu Business Unit and to be replicated across the other Business Units. The centres are positioned to provide world class customer services accessible to Ikeja Electric customers and also generate employment opportunities. I