Shell starts up Niger Delta gas project

The Gbaran-Ubie Phase 2 integrated oil and gas development has started up, Shell announced Wednesday.

Production at the facility in the Niger Delta is expected to plateau at 175,000 boepd in 2019. Phase 1 started operations in 2010, and the development has a total of 18 wells and a pipeline from Kolo Creek to Soku connecting the Gbaran-Ubie central processing facility to the Soku non-associated gas plant.

“Today’s announcement is a positive step for Shell’s global gas portfolio,” Andy Brown, Shell’s upstream director, said in a company statement. “It is also good news for Nigeria as gas from Gbaran-Ubie Phase 2 will strengthen supply to the domestic market and maintain supply to the export market.”

Currently the largest exploration and production company in Nigeria, Shell has been present in the country since 1937. The firm operates onshore and in shallow water in a joint venture with the NNPC.

Shell operates Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), a joint venture between Shell (30%), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (55%), Total E&P (10%) and Agip (10%).