We’re determined to end gas flaring in Niger Delta soon —Senator

THERE seems a close end to gas flaring in the Niger Delta region as Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas Resources, Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, has disclosed that Pan Ocean Gas Plant, one of Nigeria’s major gas plants, will bring that to fruition soon.

Senator Akpan, who commended Pan Ocean for ensuring that domestic production of gas was boosted to provide domestic and industrial usage of gas in the country, said that the gas plant would soon solve the electricity challenges  in the country.

Senator Akpan made this known to journalists during an official visit with members of the Senate Committee on Gas to the Pan Ocean Gas Plant at Ovade-Ogharefe, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.

He said the National Assembly was concerned about the amount of gas being flared into the atmosphere on daily basis which posed health hazards to the people.

According to him, the committee was on the visit to see things for themselves and get first hand information on the progress made so far as regards the project.

While acknowledging that the gas project was critical to the nation’s power generation, the senator lamented that the project had been stalled for 18 months.

He stated that the National Assembly would do everything within its power to ensure that the project was completed by the end of the third quarter of 2017, as promised by the Pan Ocean Gas Plant team.

“Basically we are looking at the Nigerian domestic gas supply as a whole and that is what has actually brought us here today.”

This project is a very critical project for the country. Based on the summation of the company, the company has been down for the past 18 months due to the vandalism of the Forcados export lines.