Ike Amos & Mkpoikana Udoma
Abuja — The SCD Joint Venture (JV) Consortium, comprising Saipem of Italy, Japan’s Chiyoda and Daewoo of South Korea, has emerged the preferred bidder for Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, NLNG, Train 7 project.
The announcement was made, Wednesday, by the Managing Director of the Nigeria LNG, Mr. Tony Attah, at the Letter of Intent Signing Ceremony in Abuja.
Attah noted that the Letter of Intent presented to the SCD JV Consortium meant that the group had been awarded the contract to undertake the Engineering, Procurement and Construction, EPC, for the Train 7 project.
He further stated that with the issuance of the Letter of Intent, the NLNG was now closer to the signing of the Final Investment Decision, FID, of the Train 7 project, which he disclosed would be attained before the end of October.
Attah explained that Train 7 is the company’s sure way to attaining the 35 percent increase in its production capacity, from 22 million tonnes per annum, MTPA, to 30 MTPA.
He noted that at construction phase, the NLNG Train 7 project would attract an investment of over $7 billion; boost Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, profile of the country, and provide about 10,000 jobs during the construction stage.
He disclosed that the company had concluded arrangements to ensure that after the signing of the FID, the project would be completed within four to five years, as this would be critical to it remaining competitive and profitable in the global market.
He said, “With Train 7 on board our operation, we can consistently continue to deliver on our vision of being a global LNG company helping to build a better Nigeria.
“We can only achieve this by sustaining our relevance in the global LNG market and in turn continue to contribute significantly to the economic base of the nation through the payment of our taxes and applicable levies; our Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, initiatives; our LPG supply to the domestic market and our support for indigenous capacity development.”
In his goodwill message, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, noted that the project had been a long time coming, noting however, that the journey had been credible and thorough.
Sylva, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had been looking forward to the commencement of the project, especially with its potential to attract $10 billion investment into the Nigerian economy, as well as numerous other benefits.
Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Engineer Simbi Wabote, informed the SCD JV Consortium that the Board expects full implementation of the agreed Nigerian Content levels as contained in the approved Nigerian Content Plan for the Train-7 project, covering engineering, fabrication, civil works, local procurement, project services, logistics, equipment leasing, insurance, hotels, office supplies, aviation, haulage, human capacity development, and jobs.
Wabote identified opportunities in the project for local businesses and investments to include the delivery of 100 per cent engineering of all non-cryogenic areas in-country, explaining that the total in-country engineering man hours is set at 55 percent, exceeding the minimum level stipulated in the NOGICD Act.
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