NLNG to sign Nipco as off-taker

The Nation

31 January 2011

NLNG to sign Nipco as off-taker

The Managing Director of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas  (NLNG) Limited, Mr Chima Ibeneche, has given the green light to sign on NIPCO Plc, a leading downstream operator, as an offtaker of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) also called cooking gas from NLNG facility.

Once the offtaking deal is sealed, it would bring to an end the dispute between the two companies in the last two years over non-acceptance of Nipco as an offtaker despite the facilities it owns.

Ibeneche during the Nipco facility tour, said it is mind boggling for a nation as blessed with gas like Nigeria to still be depending on other sources of fuel for domestic cooking.

He said with the abundant gas resources in the country, Nigeria is not supposed to be among the comity of nations still using firewood for domestic cooking with its attendant effect on deforestation.

The NLNG chief said it was not only criminal for the nation to be using firewood as no plausible excuse can be given for the anomaly. He noted that stakeholders need to get together to make access to gas a reality in the overall interest of the nation.