The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has declared that Nigeria’s electricity problem is not about power generation but distribution to various parts.
Speaking to journalists in Warri, Delta State at the media launch of the 2019 edition of Shell in Nigeria Briefing Notes over the weekend, SPDC General Manager, External Relations, Mr. Igo Weli, disclosed that the company’s Afam VI power plant supplied about 13 per cent power to the national grid last year.
Weli, who was represented by SPDC’s Head of Government Relations, West, Alaye Dokubo, also assured of Shell’s focus on the economic growth and development of its host communities in Delta State, in particular, the Sea Eagle Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, 19 producing fields within four production nodes and several gas projects at its operations in Forcados.
He noted that since inception of the Global Memorandum of Understanding, $239 million has been disbursed to fund social investment schemes, which support education, health, sports, as well as enterprise development in Nigeria, especially in Delta State.
Weli also pointed out that these ongoing projects, which include Forcados Yokri Intregated project, Southern Swamp, Associated Gas Solution, Escravos NGC and Otumara Associated Gas Gathering, put to rest assertions that Shell is no more in Delta State.
“SPDC JV has strong commitment to the development of Delta State and Nigeria through its delivery of positive social outcomes and strong relationships with stakeholders and communities to support business growth and social licence to operate.
“While the SPDC JV develops its assets and facilities, it also implements several development projects for host communities, covering economic empowerment, human capital development and provision of social infrastructure.
“As evidence of our commitment to Delta State, in 2018, SPDC JV spent more than N390 million on development projects in Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) clusters on roads, schools, town halls and markets, award of secondary school and university scholarships as well as microcredit programmes for small businesses,” Weli stated.
He further charged stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to put more efforts to end illegal refinery and pipeline vandalism, stating that 11,000 barrels of crude oil were lost to these activities in 2018.
