ABUJA, Nigeria, March 25 (UPI) -- Foreign investments of around $25 billion in Nigeria will boost the country's natural gas sector under plans outlined by the country's president.
A cornerstone of the investment plans is a $3 billion deal between Italian energy company Eni and Nigeria's Oando to process gas from the Niger Delta, said Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
Nigeria, to increase domestic supplies, aims to end the practice of flaring off gas from oil fields. The gas processing plant in the Niger Delta could be online as early as 2012, though foreign oil companies working in Nigeria said 2013 is a more realistic date for the halt to gas flaring.
Nevertheless, Jonathan said his country was positioning itself as a major gas state.
"It is our expectation that by 2013, we would have positioned Nigeria as the regional hub for gas-based industries of fertilizers, petrochemicals and methanol," he was quoted by the Platts news service as saying.
British energy company BP estimates Nigeria as of 2009 held around 185 trillion cubic feet of gas. Jonathon said there is an undiscovered potential of nearly 600 tcf.
Nigeria is set for presidential elections April 9.
A cornerstone of the investment plans is a $3 billion deal between Italian energy company Eni and Nigeria's Oando to process gas from the Niger Delta, said Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
Nigeria, to increase domestic supplies, aims to end the practice of flaring off gas from oil fields. The gas processing plant in the Niger Delta could be online as early as 2012, though foreign oil companies working in Nigeria said 2013 is a more realistic date for the halt to gas flaring.
Nevertheless, Jonathan said his country was positioning itself as a major gas state.
"It is our expectation that by 2013, we would have positioned Nigeria as the regional hub for gas-based industries of fertilizers, petrochemicals and methanol," he was quoted by the Platts news service as saying.
British energy company BP estimates Nigeria as of 2009 held around 185 trillion cubic feet of gas. Jonathon said there is an undiscovered potential of nearly 600 tcf.
Nigeria is set for presidential elections April 9.
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