Nigeria’s gas export to suffer as Eni shuts down over attacks on pipeline
Italian Oil and Gas development Company, Eni, in Nigeria, has announced an attack on its 24-inch gas line at Okaka in Yenagoa forcing it to shut down.
According to a statement by the company, the attack has led to its cutting gas export feed to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company by five million standard cubic meters per day(MMSCM/d).
Vandalism in the past months has affected Nigeria’s electricity distribution and oil production value chains. Production in some crude wells have been reduced to as low as 20% of output.
The company stated that it has shut all gas wells that feed the line to douse pressure and pave way for repairs which were completed on April 8.
The company said, “A gas leak incident due to third-party interference occurred on 5th April along 24’ Ogbainbiri to Obiafu/Obrikom Gas pipeline at Okaka in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.”
It added that all wells conferring in that pipeline were immediately shut and depressurised whilst the area was cordoned off for safety reasons.
“The relevant government regulatory agencies and the community were promptly notified. A joint investigation visit confirmed sabotage.
“Deferred production is estimated at about 5 Million Standard Cubic Meter per day of gas and the repair job was completed on 8th April.
“Production ramp up will take some days. Force majeure has been declared at Bonny NLNG.
“This is the second hacksaw cut in the area within few days, following a previous event that occurred on the same pipeline on 28th March,” they added.
Nigeria’s energy infrastructure has been a major hotspot for vandals and terrorist attacks in the past 3 years as a recent report by socioeconomic research firm, SBM intelligence revealed that report revealed that from Q3 2019 to Q1 2022, Nigerian power generation plants suffered 6 attacks in the state of Borno alone.
Last Month, Austin Avuru, founding MD/CEO of Seplat Energy and Executive Chairman AA Holdings warned that Nigeria’s oil production reached an emergency critical status.
He stated that some oil production wells don’t get to see 80% of production making it to the terminals due to oil theft.
The Nigerian Government has blamed the recent attacks on its power infrastructure on vandalism attacks, as the Power Ministry recently blamed the last grid collapse on an act of vandalism on a transmission tower on the Odukpani-Ikot Ekpene 330KV double circuit transmission.
