By Musa Adamu
Abuja
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced that it was partnering with some Spanish companies in the area of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) also known as cooking gas, with a view to boosting the local consumption.
The Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Kachalla Baru, also expressed the NNPC’s desire to boost safer energy utilisation in the country through promoting LPG consumption.
He stated that the NNPC was also working on the Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline Project and that it would rely on the technical support of some Spanish companies towards addressing the challenges of gas supply.
He stated this while receiving the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Alfonso Barnuevo, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.
He further announced that Nigeria and Spain had expressed their readiness to strengthen their bilateral trade relationship in every spectrum of the oil and gas industry for the benefit of the two countries.
According to the GMD, NNPC as an integrated oil and gas company was currently undergoing transformation which includes increasing the Corporation’s refining capacity.
He added that the Corporation would work closely with the Spanish National Oil Company (REPSOL) to improve the technical capacities of the refineries.
He said: “As you know, we have challenges with our refineries and with REPSOL refining about 900,000 barrels of crude oil per day, we can collaborate on that, going forward.
“While we are fixing our refineries, we also have the opportunity to bring in more petroleum products into the country to meet our domestic needs.”
Earlier, Ambassador Barnuevo said Nigeria and Spain had an established cordial relationship dating back to over three decades.