- Safiu Kehinde
Shell Group has reaffirmed its commitment towards the promotion of energy security in Nigeria.
The company’s Country Chair and Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), Osagie Okunbor, made the pledge at the 42nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) held in Lagos yesterday.
As contained in a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to NPO Reports, Osagie held that Shell will continue to power progress in the drive for energy security in Nigeria through its businesses in the Upstream, Midstream and Downstream and Renewables sectors.
Represented by the the group’s Exploration Manager, Gogo Eneyok, Okunbor said the range of the Shell businesses were integrated across the energy value chain and working hard to address the challenges as captured in the theme of the event: “Resolving the Nigeria Energy Trilemma: Energy Security, Sustainable Growth & Affordability.”
“Shell, working with government, regulators and stakeholders, is actively participating in finding a pathway through the energy trilemma. We are focused on generating maximum value and cash to power the country.” Okunbor said.
On the group’s efforts towards low and zero-carbon products to market, he said Shell is developing latest technologies targeted at emission and green house gas reduction.
“Shell is deploying latest technologies in reducing emission in our operations and we are well on track to meet our forecasted Green House Gas reduction targets.
“SNG is also increasing domestic gas delivery through its distribution network of 150 kilometers in Nigeria while Daystar and All On are giving individuals and communities access to cleaner and affordable energy.” He added.
Okunbor however, pointed out that for these and other efforts and investments to achieve the desired results, government had to improve the regulatory environment with continuous improvement in the provisions in the Petroleum Industry Act.
“The menace of crude theft and illegal refining must also be tackled to safeguard the nation’s resources and protect the environment,” he added.
The opening ceremony of the NAPE conference featured a tour of exhibition stand by the executive members of NAPE.
He and other dignitaries were conducted round the Shell stand by Magdalene Umoh, a Senior Production Systems Engineer.
She gave an insight to the milestones of Shell businesses in Nigeria including social investments and development of Nigerian contractors and vendors.