NNPC to Build Gas Metering Plant for Egbin Expansion Plans

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) thursday disclosed that it would build a 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day metering plant to serve the planned capacity expansion of Egbin power plant.

Egbin which is currently reported to be Nigeria’s largest gas-powered plant, has planned to expand its installed generation capacity from 1,320 megawatts (MW) to 2,670MW.

However, in a statement from the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja, the Managing Director for Nigerian Gas Processing and Transmission Company (NGPTC), Mr. Babatunde Bakare, stated this during the tender for the prequalification for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of the project.

The statement noted that the bid exercise saw 36 local and international companies put in their papers for consideration. It said the exercise demonstrated NNPC’s commitment to improving power supply in Nigeria in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision for the power sector.

NNPC also stated that it has being the biggest gas supplier to Egbin power plant.

It noted that its Chief Project Engineer for the project, Audu Ibrahim, represented Bakare at the exercise, and he stated that the expansion of the metering system to serve Egbin was imperative to enable the corporation cope with the heightened volumes of gas that might be needed afterwards.

Also, the statement stated that the due diligence in respect of technical and financial requirements would applied in the selection of the preferred bids.

NNPC explained that the exercise represented parts of its strategic moves to increase its footprint in the nation’s power supply mix, with a view to expanding its stakes in non-core hydrocarbon resources businesses.