Ekpo: Gas-to-methanol new frontier for prosperity

The Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has described gas-to-methanol projects as a new frontier for Nigeria’s economic prosperity, highlighting its vast potential to drive growth and development in the country.

Speaking at the Niger Delta Oil and Gas Investment and Security Summit with the theme: “The Decade of Gas and Investment Opportunities in the Gas Sector” held in Calabar, Cross River State, Ekpo noted that Nigeria’s gas reserves, estimated at over 210 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves and 600 trillion cubic feet of potential reserves, position the country as a gas nation.

Ekpo said: “One of the most exciting opportunities for Nigeria lies in gas-to-methanol projects. Methanol, a versatile industrial chemical used in various industries, is a critical industrial chemical, used in plastics, paints, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, and as an emerging clean fuel.”

Represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Abel Nsa, an engineer, the Gas Minister said the country is attracting substantial global interest and is already seeing significant investments in methanol production, including the $3.6 billion Brass Methanol Plant in Bayelsa State, that is advancing towards Final Investment Decision (FID).

He explained that in 2021, the Federal Government declared 2021–2030 as Nigeria’s Decade of Gas, a bold national agenda to transition from crude oil dependence to full utilisation of abundant natural gas, and highlighted the gas flare commercialisation programme, which has converted 48 flare sites into viable projects for LPG, power and petrochemicals, as one of the sector’s achievements.The Minister pointed out that Cross River State, with its strategic location and industrial base, is well-placed to attract methanol projects, noting that developing methanol plants will create jobs, promote technology transfer, and position the state as a hub for gas-based industrialization.

“The Federal Government will continue to support projects that make Calabar and Cross River a true hub for gas industrialisation, methanol production, and regional exports.”

However, Ekpo expressed concern over the sabotage of oil and gas assets, warning that oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and sabotage threaten not only revenue but also investor confidence, and that constructive engagement with host communities must remain central in the quest to attract and sustain economic projects.

“When host communities see real benefit: jobs, schools, clinics, infrastructure, and dividends from Host Community Development Trusts, they will become protectors, not saboteurs, of oil and gas assets.”

Ekpo: Gas-to-methanol new frontier for prosperity - The Nation Newspaper