Nigeria's NLNG aims to start up Train 7 LNG project by end-2027

According to Business Recorder, Nigerian LNG producer NLNG is targeting a start-up of its $10 billion Train 7 project by the close of 2027. Managing director Adeleye Falade made the remarks to reporters at the Gastech conference in Bangkok. The Bonny Island expansion will raise NLNG's capacity from 22 million to 30 million metric tons a year, although it has suffered repeated delays, most recently linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

NLNG remains subject to a force majeure first imposed in 2022, after widespread flooding disrupted supply. Falade said the measure will be lifted when utilisation reaches 90%, while current operations run at 82% to 83%. He added that the remaining gap of about 15% can be closed operationally, but gas supply is the main obstacle, and the company is working with the government and other stakeholders to secure more flow to the plant.

Falade also said interest in extra volumes and spot cargoes increased after exports through the Strait of Hormuz were curtailed by the Iran war, with buyers looking for more diversified and dependable supply. NLNG's current priority, he said, is to meet its obligations to existing customers and to maximise output where possible. NLNG is majority-owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, with Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni among its foreign partners.