Page 8 - DMEA Week 41 2022

DMEA PIPELINES DMEA

“We have seen the opportunity to bring back Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari began
every gas pipeline project that you can think discussion.
of,” Kyari said. “It is a matter of who needs it and Earlier this year, OPEC said it would fund
who’s ready to pay for it.” the project’s feasibility study and front-end engi-
Rabat and Abuja signed a memorandum of neering design (FEED). ™
understanding (MoU) on September 15 on the
NMGP project, which aims to make fuel avail-
able for power generation and provide energy
to African countries that are home to nearly
500mn people.
It will also help export African gas to Europe,
thereby offering European states an alternative
to Russian gas supplies following the invasion
of Ukraine.
The pipeline, if built, would be 5,600 km
long. It would deliver gas to 11 countries before
reaching Europe, likely via Spain or Italy. It is
predicted that the project will cost $20-25bn,
over a construction period of eight years. Con-
struction would be broken down into phases,
with the first taking three years and the other
stages taking five years.
The pipeline would help resolve the energy
accessibility issues in most of the countries on
the route. It also aims to contribute to the devel-
opment of critical sectors, including food secu-
rity, infrastructure, mining, renewable energy
and human development.
Among other objectives are promoting
regional integration, advancing social and eco-
nomic development, reducing gas flaring and
exports to Europe.
Support for the project has risen in the past
months because of the current global energy
crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. The
scheme has been under consideration since
2016, when Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and The NMGP system would be 5,600 km long (Image: Twitter/@nnpclimited)

Namibia, Zambia sign agreement on

private-sector construction of fuel pipe

AFRICA NAMIBIA and Zambia have signed an agree- on October 6: “If executed as planned, this
ment to facilitate private-sector construction of project has the potential to unblock economic
a pipeline to move refined petroleum products potential, not only for Namibia and Zambia; but
from the former country to the latter, reports for the SADC [16-member Southern African
said on October 7. Development Community] region as a whole.
The Namibia-Zambia Multi–Product This project will be a great example of regional
Petroleum and Natural Gas Pipelines Project co-operation.”
(NAZOP), is slated to begin at Namibia’s Walvis About 600mn Africans lack access to energy,
Bay on the Atlantic Ocean coast. The pipeline partly because of the lack of appropriate infra-
will be able to transport 100,000-120,000 bar- structure, he said. This demonstrated the need
rels per day (bpd) of refined fuels, according to for more investment in enabling systems, he
the Namibia Economist, which cited remarks by added.
Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy Tom His Zambian counterpart, Peter Kapala,
Alweendo. according to Lusaka Times, said the new infra-
According to a press release cited by the structure could ease the transportation of
Namibia Economist, Alweendo said after the refined oil to other southern African nations,
signing ceremony in Swakopmund, Namibia boosting their economies.

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 41 13•October•2022