ND Western Outlines Growth Plans

Peter Uzoho

Nigerian independent oil and gas company, ND Western Limited, has listed a number of strategies to achieve its plan of becoming an integrated energy company, with significant downstream and midstream businesses.

One of such strategies is its ongoing drive to grow the company’s gas production capacity from current 400 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) per day to 600mmscf in the coming months.

The Managing Director of ND Western Limited, Mr. Eberechukwu Oji, told journalists recently that growing the company’s gas production numbers would lead to significant gas supply to the domestic market -the power plants and local industries.

Oji explained that the focus on growing the company’s gas production and contribution to the domestic market was in line with the Decade of Gas agenda of the federal government and to use gas as the transition fuel in the emerging energy transition world.

He added that the growth plans included increasing ND Western’s oil production capacity from the current 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 30,000 bpd by end of this year or mid next year, noting that the firm even has the capacity to grow it to 60,000bpd.

He said: “We also have a very strong oil production. At the moment, 20,000 barrels per day. We hope to grow that to 30,000 in the very near future -end of this year, mid of next year, before our plans come together. But we have capacity to grow that to actually 60,000 barrels.

“So, that will make ND Western one of the strong players among all the Nigerian independents. We also have a mini refinery project that is in development -10,000 barrels a day.

“We are working on that very seriously. We are in discussion with NNPC as well, for the condensate refinery. That will be an additional 10,000 barrels. So, if you combine our 10,000 mini refinery, plus the 10,000 condensate refinery, that will be 20,000 barrels of refining capacity.”

Oji, also disclosed that the company was working to develop an industrial hub in Uturogu, one of the company’s host communities in Delta State, so that industries and residents in the area could flourish on the gains of its aggressive gas-to-power initiative.

Oji, further said: “So, we already have Transcorp, we have the Delta Glass as well as the Delta Steel, in that corridor.

“Our expectation is that when we build these gas groups’ capacity, other companies who are looking to establish their plants and save themselves the cost of transportation, will co-locate in that corridor with us, so that the gas we produce will just arrive plants as the case may be.”

He also talked about the company’s midstream project in development, where, from the gas, they will develop a mini Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant and other natural gas liquids, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), as part of their midstream development programme.

“So, what you see is that, ND Western at the moment, is purely an E&P play, but very soon, we will be an integrated energy company, with a significant downstream business and significant midstream business. So, that’s ND Western in short for you,” he added.