Tanko Mohammed
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has advised that market forces should be allowed to determine gas prices to guarantee the security of supply and demand of the commodity.
Mr Sarki Auwalu, the Chief Executive Officer, DPR, disclosed this while presenting keynote address at the pre-summit conference on “Decade of gas’, in Abuja.
Auwalu said that the right and market-based pricing of gas was critical, as it would assure producers of returns on their investments.
He also outlined five critical levers for gas development, especially as Nigeria moves to leverage its abundant gas resources for national growth, diversification of the economy and to use gas as the fuel for economic transformation.
According to him, the levers include availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability, as well as deliverability.
He noted that these were critical to utilising Nigeria’s proven gas reserves of 203 trillion cubic feet, TCF, for national development.
“Whereas references have been made to the other elements in this discussion, right pricing of gas is requiring particular attention to ensure security of gas supply and security of credible gas demand.
“This is because upstream gas producers must be assured that they will receive fair and equitable returns for their investments whereas, the price must be such that the end-users are able to pay for gas offtake in a reliable and consistent manner.
“Accordingly, the most robust and sustainable pricing mechanism is that which ‘let the market speak’ in a way that all costs are reflective of prevailing market conditions and for which the economic dynamics of demand and supply are allowed to interplay in an open, transparent, and free market environment.
“Thus, our drive as a nation should be early attainment to the ‘willing buyer; willing seller’ market status.
“Any transitional pricing arrangements, today, must be structured to quickly give way for market-led pricing regime and conditions,” he said
Auwalu commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, for their outstanding leadership in deepening gas utilisation in Nigeria.
He noted that these efforts had culminated in the establishment of the National Gas Expansion Programme, National Gas Transportation Network Code and the National Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme.
Others, he noted, include the ongoing construction of the ELPS-II, OB3 and AKK pipelines as critical backbone gas infrastructure required to improve gas deliverability and availability.
He added that government was also working toward the expeditious passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which would enhance clarity in legislative, regulatory, fiscal, and administrative frameworks in the industry.
“This bill, when passed into law, will eliminate the uncertainties and bottlenecks associated with gas development in Nigeria and accelerate the growth of the Nigerian gas market to a fully developed and matured status.
“Specifically, on gas matters, the PIB provides for the following: promotion of dedicated gas exploration and development, gas terms, fiscal separation of gas as a commodity.
“It will also enhance the domestic gas delivery obligation, tariffing structure & methodology, open access regimes and revised gas pricing framework, to mention but a few,” Auwalu said.
He added that the DPR would continue to be an enabler and an opportunity provider in the oil and gas industry.
“Our focus remains the effective implementation of all policies and strategic programmes of government in an efficient manner that optimises the value of our petroleum resources for all stakeholders, all in overriding national interest,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) says gas remains vital to Nigeria’s future in the global oil and gas sector.
The OPEC Secretary General, Mohammad Barkindo, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, at the pre-summit conference on “Decade of Gas”.
He said that the move of the country to develop its huge gas deposit was a step in the right direction.
“Gas is vital to Nigeria’s future, as is oil, and both will be fuels of choice globally for the foreseeable future and instrumental in facilitating the energy transition,” he said.
The secretary-general said that the ‘Decade of Gas’ from 2021 to 2030 was likely to place Nigeria at the forefront of the vital global industry.
Barkindo commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort as Head of Nigeria’s Delegation to OPEC, in the organisation’s overarching commitment to sustainable market stability.
“This was clearly on display during the unprecedented oil market slump in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the President playing a leadership role in unifying the commitment of participants in the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) and, in turn, helping pull the industry back from the brink.”
The OPEC scribe noted that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the National Assembly was timely for the achievement of the decade of gas.
He said that the global primary energy demand was set to increase by 25 per cent in the period to 2045.
Barkindo said that the world needs more energy, and Nigeria as a reliable and dependable supplier of hydrocarbons to global markets has a key role to play in this regard.
According to him, there is, at the same time, the ongoing energy transition and the associated challenge.
This, he said, includes ensuring there was enough energy supply to meet future demand growth and achieving this in a sustainable way, balancing the needs of people in relation to their social welfare, the economy, and the environment.
“Looking at the scale of the energy transition challenge, we need to utilise all resources efficiently.
“Tackling emissions has many pathways and we need to explore them all.
“The oil and gas industries are part of the solution; we possess critical resources and expertise that can help unlock our carbon-free future,” the secretary-general said.
Barkindo said that, globally, to 2045, the organisation’s projections show that investments of more than $12 trillion would be needed in the upstream, midstream and downstream of the sector.
He commended the President for keeping faith in the sector with continued investments in the critical gas projects such as the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Natural Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project.
