The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS said on Friday that it would replace gas from Russia with Nigeria Gas due to the invasion in Ukraine.
The Deputy Director General of the Department (Energy) of the European Commission in Brussels, Mr. Matthew Baldwin, said so during a press conference on Friday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Baldwin will meet senior Nigerian government officials and private sector players, including key players in the country’s energy sector.
NAN reports that the EU’s executive body had urged member states to cut their gas consumption by 15%, warning that a complete shutdown of Russian supplies was “likely”.
The EU has been struggling to wean itself off Russian gas since the invasion of Ukraine, but worries about a possible energy crisis this winter.
“In summary, I am on a mission from Europe to try to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) today under the NLG partnership tomorrow with Nigeria.
“Europe is in a difficult situation in its relations with gas, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the instability of our gas market and the threat of a complete cut in supply.
“So we have launched the Energy Platform Task Force and the main objective is to reach out to our reliable partners such as Nigeria to replace gas from Russia with gas from reliable partners,” he said. -he declares.
According to him, you might have seen earlier this week we launched a gas demand reduction plan and we are looking to reduce gas demand by 15% to manage the demand side of the equation.
“To be clear, we have to manage supply and that is why we want to expand what currently represents 14% of our total LNG imports from Nigeria and we want them to increase.
“Our gas percentage was 60%, but now we want to go,” he said.
He added that Nigerian products have tremendous potential and that is why the EU is keen to expand delivery in the short term.
Furthermore, he said that by the end of August this year, the EU will hopefully launch the partnership, adding that this will create a long-term partnership with Nigeria.
Also speaking, Ms. Samuela Isopi, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the bloc was doing its part in contributing to the energy sector through different collaborations with the Nigerian government.
She said that currently the EU contribution amounts to 400 million euros. “The EU as a bloc remains Nigeria’s largest trading partner, accounting for over 20% of Nigeria’s trade with the world.
In 2021, EU-Nigeria trade volume stood at €28.7 billion (an increase of more than 25% compared to 2020) with a trade balance of €6.4 billion in favor of Nigeria. Nigeria.
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