Port Harcourt, Nov. 14, 2023: The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has debunked media reports that the company planned to shut down six of its train plants in Rivers.
The reports said the shutdown was to allow for maintenance of the plants, leading to concerns over the negative bearing the shutdown would have on the price of cooking gas.
Mr Andy Odeh, NLNG General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development refuted the report in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.
“Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report on Nov. 12 titled “Gas Supply Constraints May Worsen in Nigeria, Europe as NLNG embarks on Plant Maintenance by February 2024.”
“The report alluded to an alleged total shutdown of NLNG’s six train plants over a proposed maintenance operation scheduled for February or March 2024.
“This report is false. NLNG commitment to the safe and uninterrupted functioning of its plants underscores the significance of routine turnaround maintenance, referred technically as a ‘shutdown’,” he clarified.
Odeh explained that turnaround maintenance was the temporal taking of a specific train or unit offline – for preservation purposes and does not entail a complete shutdown of an entire plant.
“The meticulous planning and execution of this essential activity allows for the seamless transfer of production loads to unaffected trains, resulting in minimal impact on overall production.
“The ‘shutdown’ alluded to in the media report is a routine turnaround maintenance and is part of NLNG’s production calendar.
“NLNG takes exception to the disconcerting lack of factual accuracy in the report, highlighting the evident absence of discretion,” he said.
Odeh said the company has a record of accomplishment of its maintenance approach which has consistently set high standards in safety and project management, leading to operational efficiency of its assets.
He recalled that NLNG had in 2022 replaced a critical valve with an Add-On Gate Valve (AOGV) technology in one of its train facilities without shutting down the plant.
According to him, NLNG was the first in Africa to deploy the AOGV technology in its 36 inches pipeline which was the largest pipe-size deployment across the globe.
“It is this kind of engineering excellence and unparalleled maintenance execution discipline that NLNG is known for.
“So, the report was not fact-based, and was deprived of any balance, in contradiction to the ethics of responsible journalism – as no spokesperson of the company was reached for comments,” he said.
