The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS on Friday took the decision to replace the gas from Russia with Nigerian Gas because of the ongoing attack in Ukraine.
The Deputy Director-General Department for (Energy), European Commission in Brussels, Mr Matthew Baldwin, expressed this at a news gathering on Friday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Baldwin will meet with Nigerian top government authorities and private sector officials alongside key partners in the country’s Energy Sector.
NAN reports that the EU’s chief body had encouraged part states to cut their gas utilization by 15% as it cautioned that a total shunning of Russian supplies was “logical”.
The EU has been scrambling to sideline itself off Russian gas since the invasion of Ukraine, yet is frightened about a potential energy emergency this time of year.
“In Summary, I am on a mission from Europe to attempt to convey Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) today with regards to NLG collaboration tomorrow with Nigeria.
“Europe is definitely having a difficult time in relation to gas, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the shakiness in our gas market, and the danger of removing supply by and large.
“Thus, we have sent off the energy stage team and the essential objective is to contact our dependable accomplices, for example, Nigeria to supplant the gas from Russia with gas from solid partners, similar to Nigeria.” he said.
“Honestly, we want to deal with the supply side and that is the reason we need to grow what is as of now at 14% shares of our absolute LNG import from Nigeria and we believe it should go up.
“Our gas rate was 60% yet presently we need to go,” he said.
He added that Nigerian products had an uncommon potential and for that reason EU needed to extend the transient conveyance.
Likewise, he expressed that toward the finish of August this year EU ideally seek to launch the partnership, adding that, it would lead to a long term association with Nigeria.
Talking likewise, Ms Samuela Isopi, the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said that the alliance was doing its part in adding to the energy sector through various joint efforts with Nigerian Government.
She said that presently, EU’s commitment remains at 400 million euros. The EU as a coalition remains Nigeria’s greatest trading partner representing more than 20% of Nigerian exchange with the world.
In 2021 the volume of EU-Nigeria trade remained at 28.7 billion euros (an increment of more than 25% north of 2020) with an exchange equilibrium of 6.4 billion euros in favor of Nigeria.
