With the Federal Government’s backing and a site provided by Heirs Energies, Africa Gas Technology Company is preparing to pilot a technology that captures wasted gas at Agbada-2 near Port Harcourt and turns it into electricity for nearby communities.
For more than 60 years, gas flares have lit up the Niger Delta sky, burning off a resource that could power the homes and businesses beneath them. A new project near Port Harcourt aims to change that.
Africa Gas Technology Company Limited (AGTC), the Nigerian subsidiary of Dutch cleantech firm, Energy Ventures B.V., has secured the Federal Government’s support to capture associated gas at its Agbada-2 site in OML 17 and convert it into electricity. When fully operational, the project is expected to supply electricity to about 80,000 homes and businesses, reaching roughly half a million people.
The pilot will use FlareOut®, Energy Ventures’ modular system, for capturing, processing and using gas that would otherwise be flared. If it succeeds, the company says the same model could be replicated at more than 100 other flare sites across Nigeria.
Partnership that began with invitation
The project exists in Nigeria because of Heirs Energies Limited, operator of OML 17 in joint venture with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). It was Heirs Energies that invited Energy Ventures to bring FlareOut® to Nigeria, provided the Agbada-2 site on which the plant is being built, and will supply the flare gas that fuels it under a gas sale agreement with AGTC.
Energy Ventures’ leadership, presenting the project to journalists in Lagos, described the oil company’s role as fundamental.
“Heirs Energies invited us to do this project in Nigeria, gave us the site, and has been very supportive at every step since,” said the Chief Commercial Officer of Energy Ventures B.V., Yvonne te Wierik-Chioke. “Without them, we would not be here.”
Government on board
Herbert Okibe, Chief Executive Officer of Energy Ventures B.V., who led the briefing alongside Te Wierik-Chioke and Chief Financial Officer, Govert Rietema, said the company had presented the project to the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Ministry of Power, and that both had pledged support.
Beyond endorsement, officials offered practical help. They suggested linking the project’s metering to the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), and the minister advised the team to deepen engagement with NNPCL and the relevant regulators.
Okibe also credited the Electricity Act 2023, which allows states to generate and regulate their own electricity, with opening the door to projects of this kind, including franchise arrangements with third-party distributors.
How it works
The FlareOut® units are built by FB Group in the Netherlands to AGTC’s design. Each is digitally connected, allowing the engine manufacturers to run remote diagnostics and root-cause analysis without waiting for engineers on site.
On the customer side, AGTC will instal tamper-proof smart meters, with households and businesses able to track their usage through a mobile app, an approach intended to build trust and reduce losses.
Communities first
Aware of the Niger Delta’s history of unrest, the company says it has invested heavily in groundwork before a single engine is switched on. That has included enumerating customers house-by-house and holding meetings with traditional rulers, youth groups, local government chairmen and community electricity committees.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Okibe said. “We want this to be a win-win, so the local electricity committees are part of how the project is run.”
The site will also be protected by perimeter fencing and armed security provided with the support of Nigerian authorities.
Beyond Agbada
Te Wierik-Chioke said reliable power was among the most important conditions for economic growth. “Once you have access to clean, reliable energy, you can build and grow your business and plan for the future,” she said, while cautioning that results would take time.
Okibe was equally measured. The project will not close Nigeria’s power deficit on its own, he said, but it will make a real difference to local businesses, schools and hospitals, and its effect should reach beyond the Niger Delta. By serving communities that rely on the national grid, it frees up supply for the rest of the country.
“Directly, we are looking at about 80,000 homes,” he said. “Indirectly, we believe all Nigerians will benefit.”
