The European Union is seeking additional gas supplies from Nigeria as the bloc prepares for potential Russian supply cuts, Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s energy department, said on Saturday.
Baldwin was speaking in Nigeria where he held meetings with officials from Africa’s largest oil producer this week.
He was told that Nigeria was improving security in the Niger Delta and planned to re-open the Trans Niger pipeline after August, which would yield more gas exports to Europe. The EU imports 14% of its total LNG supplies from Nigeria and there is potential to more than double this, Baldwin told Reuters by phone.
Oil and gas output in Nigeria is being throttled by theft and vandalism of pipelines, leaving gas producer Nigeria LNG Ltd’s terminal at Bonny Island operating at 60% capacity.
“If we can get up to beyond 80%, at that point, there might be additional LNG that could be available for spot cargoes to come to Europe,” Baldwin said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2022.
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