The managing director of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Philip Mshelbila, has said that natural gas will remain a key source of energy in the world over the next 20 to 30 years, despite the debate surrounding the current energy transition.
The global West has continued to push for faster decarbonisation of energy supplies, although Nigeria and other African countries that rely heavily on fossil fuel sales argue that there must be more equity in the discussions.
For the International Energy Agency (IEA), which works mainly for the world's rich countries, some of the measures that would be essential to achieve net zero include restrictions on approvals for the development of new oil and gas fields.
In addition, the body insisted that there should be no new coal mines or mine expansions by this year, while electric vehicles are expected to account for 60% of global car sales by 2030, as well as nearly 70% of the world's electricity generation from solar and wind power by 2050.
But Mshelbila, who spoke at the World LNG and Pricing Summit in Athens, Greece, noted that gas will continue to play a major role in the global energy mix.
He listed the gas industry's efforts to reduce carbon emissions, adding that there is a need for other industries outside gas to also reduce their emissions.
« Nous sommes convaincus qu’au cours des 20 à 30 prochaines années, le gaz naturel continuera de jouer un rôle vital en tant que source majeure d’énergie dans le monde. Alors que l’industrie du gaz s’efforce de décarboner sa chaîne de valeur, nous devons encourager les autres en dehors de notre chaîne, pour réduire également leurs émissions », a-t-il suggéré lors de l’événement.
Although Nigeria has about 209 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves and about 600 tcf of unproven gas reserves, Mshelbila said there is significant underserved domestic gas demand in Nigeria.
Il a déclaré: « Il existe une énorme demande intérieure de gaz mal desservie au Nigéria. Même si notre principal produit est le GNL destiné à l’exportation, nous fournissons environ 40% du GPL utilisé par le marché intérieur nigérian.
« Nous soutenons également l’initiative du gouvernement pour la décennie du gaz, qui vise à fournir du gaz à la fois pour l’exportation et l’usage domestique – GNL (gaz naturel liquéfié), GPL (gaz de pétrole liquéfié), GNC (gaz naturel comprimé). »