Anglo-Dutch oil group Shell pledged Wednesday to assist Nigeria to harness its vast natural gas resources to boost electricity in the power-starved west African country.
Nigeria, rich in oil and gas resources, currently produces less than 3,000 megawatts of electricity for a population of 150 million people, compared to South Africa, which generates more than 43,000 megawatts for a population one-third its size.
Nigerian officials often attribute shortage of gas to feed the power plants as the reason for the inadequate electricity supply in Africa’s most populous nation.
“Shell is committed to assisting Nigeria achieve efficient, reliable and adequate power supply through the utilisation of its vast natural gas,” Shell’s African regional vice president Osten Olorunsola told an oil and gas conference.
He said despite having the seventh largest gas reserves in the world, only a fraction of Nigeria’s gas reserves has been harnessed.
“The quality of Nigeria’s gas is known to be among the best in the world,” he said.
Nigeria’s proven reserves of natural gas is currently about 185 trillion cubic feet, making the west African powerhouse the seventh largest in the world.
Shell said it was producing 512 million standard cubic feet of gas per day in southern Nigeria, the highest in two years, to boost power generation in the country.
Nigeria’s southern oil-producing region is returning to stability after years of unrest during which Nigeria, the world’s eighth largest oil exporter saw its output slashed by a third.
Thousands of rebels seeking a bigger share of revenues for their local communities recently laid down arms in response to a government amnesty.