The EU is seeking to replace Russian gas with supplies from Nigeria

The European Union is seeking additional natural gas supplies from Nigeria as the bloc prepares for possible cuts in Russian supplies, Matthew Baldwin, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s energy department, said on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Baldwin was in Nigeria, where he held meetings with officials from Africa’s biggest oil producer this week.

He was told that Nigeria is improving security in the Niger Delta and plans to reopen the Trans Niger pipeline after August, which will bring more gas exports to Europe.

The EU imports 14% of its total liquefied natural gas supplies from Nigeria and there is potential to more than double that figure, Baldwin told Reuters by telephone.

Oil and gas production in Nigeria has been hampered by pipeline theft and vandalism, leaving gas producer Nigeria LNG Ltd’s terminal on Bonny Island operating at 60% capacity.

“If we can get above 80%, at that point, there may be additional LNG that could be available for spot cargoes coming into Europe,” Baldwin said.

“They (Nigerian officials) told us, ‘Come and talk again at the end of August, because we think we can make real progress on this.’

Nigeria NLG is owned by state oil company NNPC Ltd, Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni.

The European Commission said on Wednesday that EU member states should cut their natural gas use by 15% from August to March. The target will initially be voluntary, but will become mandatory if the Commission declares a state of emergency.

Last year, Nigeria exported 23 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to the EU, but this figure has been declining over the years. In 2018, the bloc bought 36 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas from Nigeria, Baldwin said.