Oil & Energy
Power Supply Improves After Mass Protest In Diobu, PH
Power Supply in Diobu
area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has recorded some improvement within the past four days.
While some residents believe that the improved supply was as a result of the recent protest by consumers in the area, others attributed the improved electricity supply to the nearness of bill payment time.
Festus Lastman, an electrician in Mile Two said, “it has been better these few days in terms of electricity supply. One could see light lasting for about six hours unlike before.”
Lastman said, he does not know if the improvement was as a result of the recent protest by residents of the area over poor supply.
But Chief Akazie Josef, another resident of Ojiegbu Street in Mile III Diobu said, “yes we can see some noticeable improvement. But that is not enough. All we want is that supply in the area must be meaningful and consistent.
“I believe it is because of the peaceful protest that the residents staged recently. That was a signal and the issue with Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) is that when you tell them that they have improved, then you see them slack,” he said.
Also speaking in similar way, another resident, Mary Stanford, said, “actually the people have improved this past few days but that is what they normally do when they want to come and collect money. They kind of want to make you happy so that you can pay.”
But Christmas Ebi said he has not seen any improvement in supply.
“I have seen about two hours supply for the past two days and that is what I have been experiencing even before the recent protest,” he said.
Ebi who lives at Gambia Street in Mile II Diobu accused PHED of being interested in the money they collect from the consumers and not service improvement.
“I wonder what kind of business they operate. To me, this is corporate fraud and I pray that the incoming government by Gen Muhammadu Buhari should change all this for the common man to survive,” Ebi stated.
He urged Buhari to review the privatisation exercise because it is not working and that there were no indications that it can change.
“It has only changed from government operated to private investors and the result is nothing to write home about. I rather think it is worst because thousands of persons working in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria have been laid off thereby increasing unemployment Federal Government has continued to bail the so called investors out with billions of Naira from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Yet no supply has increased, rather the bills paid by average Nigerian has continued to be on the increase. This is not business,” he maintained.
Authorities of the PHED had linked the drop in supply of electricity in Diobu and some other axis of Port Harcourt to the faulty Breaker at UTC.
An officer in the public communications department of PHED, John Onyia said Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) was fixing the breaker which packed up over two months.
He said, the UTC breaker impacts supply to Diobu and other parts of Port Harcourt city.
Residents of Diobu had recently staged a mass protest over epileptic supply in the area.
The Bill for an act to prohibit gas flaring, encourage commodity utilisation, and provide for penalties and remedies for gas flaring violations has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
Sponsored by the Member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency (APC, Lagos), Babajimi Adegoke Benson, the bill seeks to prohibit the flaring and venting of natural gas, except in strictly regulated circumstances, while encouraging the utilisation of gas resources to foster economic growth and energy generation.
The proposed legislation aims to mitigate the environmental, health, and economic impacts of gas flaring, aligning Nigeria’s oil and gas operations with international climate change commitments.
Offenders, who violate the provisions of the proposed law, would face stringent penalties, including fines of $5 per 1,000 standard cubic feet of gas flared and potential suspension of operations for repeat violations.
Leading debate on the general principles of the bill, Benson said gas flaring has plagued Nigeria for decades, resulting to severe environmental degradation, public health crises, and economic losses while it environmentally, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and acid rain, exacerbating climate challenges.
The lawmaker said public health impacts of the practice are equally dire, as pollutants from gas flaring cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, particularly among residents of communities close to flaring sites.
According to him, economically, flaring results in the waste of a valuable resource that could otherwise be harnessed for energy generation or exported to generate revenue.
Benson insisted that the bill was designed to address those issues while bringing Nigeria in line with global standards such as the Paris Agreement on climate change.
“The bill provides for a comprehensive prohibition of gas flaring except in emergencies or when explicitly authorised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“Operators are required to submit and implement Gas Utilisation Plans, detailing how gas that would otherwise be flared will be captured, processed, or commercialised.
“Offenders, who violate these provisions, face stringent penalties, including fines of $5 per 1,000 standard cubic feet of gas flared and potential suspension of operations for repeat violations. Furthermore, the Bill ensures that communities affected by gas flaring are entitled to compensation and environmental restoration, creating a mechanism for redress.
“Transparency and accountability are integral to the enforcement framework of this Bill. Operators must submit regular reports on gas flaring incidents, which will be audited and made publicly available by the NUPRC. This approach ensures public oversight and stakeholder engagement, fostering trust and compliance.
“Nigeria’s adoption of this Bill positions the country to emulate such success, ensuring a balance between environmental stewardship and economic development.
“The implementation of this Bill will be overseen by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, which will monitor compliance through regular audits, enforce penalties, and facilitate gas utilisation projects in collaboration with operators and development partners.
“The Anti-Gas Flaring (Prohibition and Enforcement) Bill, 2024, is a timely and necessary response to one of Nigeria’s most pressing environmental challenges. Its provisions are both practical and forward-looking, addressing immediate concerns while laying the groundwork for a sustainable future.
“I urge all Honourable Members to support the Second Reading of this Bill as a demonstration of our collective commitment to environmental protection, public health and economic progress”, he added.
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Oil major, Shell, has restated its commitment to the development of Nigerian companies through contract awards and scaling up of expertise.
Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company ((SNEPCO) Limited, Ron Adams, made the remark while speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the 13th edition of the Practical Nigerian Content forum held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with the theme “Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation”.
Represented by the Manager, Business Opportunity, SNEPCO’s Bonga South-West Aparo Project, Olaposi Fadahunsi, he said several benefitting companies had taken advantage of the patronage to expand their operations and improve their expertise and financial strength.
Adams said, “Shell companies execute a large proportion of their activities through contracts with third parties, and Nigeria-registered companies have been key beneficiaries of this policy aimed at powering Nigeria’s progress”.
He emphasized that Shell companies in Nigeria also continued to develop indigenous manpower through scholarship programmes with over 3,772 undergraduate and 109 Niger Delta post graduate scholarships since 2016.
“As we speak, beneficiaries of the 13th edition of the Niger Delta Post Graduate Scholarship awards are pursuing their studies in the United Kingdom. The employability rate of the scheme is high with over 98% of the graduates who won the awards securing employment in the oil and gas industry, academia and Information Technology, among other sectors, within one year of completing their studies”.
He commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for ensuring compliance with the Nigerian Content Act saying “Nigerian content will continue to be an important part of Shell operations”.
The four-day conference hosted by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and participating companies reviewed progress on the development of Nigerian content pertaining to the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGICD) Act since it was enacted in 2010.
Shell companies in Nigeria are among the more than 700 oil and gas entities that participated in the forum with a strong message of support for Nigerian companies, having awarded contracts worth $1.98 billion to the businesses in 2023 in continuing effort to develop Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has sold the first cargo of Port-Harcourt low sulfur straight run fuel oil (LSSR) to Dubai-based Gulf Transport & Trading Limited (GTT).
The company is expected to load the cargo in the coming days onboard the Wonder Star MR1 ship, signalling the commencement of operations at the plant and the exportation of petroleum products.
The ship would load 15,000 metric tons of the product, which translates to about 13.6 million litres.
Although the volume coming from the NNPC into the global market is still small, the development has the potential to impact the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) benchmarks in the future, while changing the market realities for Atlantic Basin exporters into Nigeria and other regions.
The sulfur content of the export by NNPC stands at 0.26 per cent per wt and a 0.918 g/ml density at 15°C, according to Kpler, a data and analysis company.
The cargo was reportedly sold at an $8.50/t discount to the NWE 0.5 per cent benchmark on a Free on Board (FOB) basis.
Kpler reported that the development would help displace imports from traditional suppliers in Africa and Europe, as Nigeria’s falling clean product (CPP) imports are already decreasing, dragging imports into the wider West Africa region lower as well.