Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo, last weekend, strongly commended an indigenous oil and gas firm, LEE Engineering and Construction Company, for demonstrating impressive capacity in building the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (EPLS) for the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, without any expatriate engineers.
Ekpo, who consequently highly recommended the company to the NNPC for similar projects in the future, said what this means is that the authorities are ready and willing to take the destiny of the country to an enviable level.
LEE Engineering is a leading indigenous oil and gas construction company and a local partner of Solar Turbine Inc. San Diego, USA.
Applauding the giant strides of the company in bringing to fruition the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in mass gas utilisation across the country, Ekpo noted that the work done so far under three years portrayed the company as competent, dedicated and strategically placed to actualise the country’s gas needs.
Speaking on Saturday when he paid a working visit to the site of the compressor stations (CS) at Ologbo in Ikpoba Okha LGA and Okada, Ovia North-East, Edo state, where LEE Engineering is building the EPLS, the minister rated the company highly, saying he was happy with the progress of work.
The ELPS phase III mildline compressor is an engineering procurement construction (EPC) by LEE Engineering & Construction on behalf of the national oil company.
The projects, according to industry watchers, are the largest midline gas compression facilities in Africa. The compressor stations are along the existing ELPS Pipeline Right of Way.
The project, when completed, would facilitate the transportation of 2.2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day by the NNPC through the ELPS Pipeline to Nigerian domestic off takers and West African region for power generation, industrialisation and enhanced monetisation of national hydrocarbon resources.
With works being executed simultaneously at both compressor stations, the project is currently transiting from construction to commissioning phase while transmission of compressed gas is expected to commence by the end of the 3rd Quarter of 2026.
When operational, the gas booster stations will increase hydrocarbon gas transportation from the Niger Delta and unlock evacuation constraints in the long term.
After inspecting the project, Ekpo commended the company for making use of local experts to carry out the project.
“Looking around, I have not seen any expatriate, but only Nigerian engineers are involved in building this place which means we are ready and willing to take the destiny of the country to an enviable level.
“I want to tell the NNPC that a contractor who is living up to date and to expectations should be recognised and engaged in the next gas projects, make sure you take advantage and engage them in future endeavours.
“I’m informed that this is within three years. It’s massive; it takes a lot of dedication and readiness to work with the Federal Government to achieve the need in making gas available to our people. We are in the era of gas, and I want to say I’m impressed. I congratulate NNPC in engaging Lee Engineering for this job,” the minister enthused.
He further assured that he would recommend LEE Engineering & Construction Company Ltd for similar jobs.
Ekpo stressed that facilities as those on site would help in pushing gas to various levels, especially with the F. Line being the main concentration presently.
In his remarks, the Group Chairman of the construction company, Dr. Lee Ikpea thanked the minister for visiting the sites.
He informed the minister that the components in building the stations were manufactured in his factory, saying that the stations were built to last between 30 to 40 years.
“As a Nigerian, I am prepared to make sacrifices for the country to grow. I realised that nobody would develop the country for us. This project is to showcase this,” Dr. Ikpea stated.
