Nigeria Ranked Among Africa’s Lowest LPG Consumers

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said that Nigeria is one of Africa’s lowest consumers of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) notwithstanding its current national LPG consumption rate of 110,000 metric tonnes (MT) per annum.
Alison-Madueke, who spoke at the opening of the LPG Strategic Workshop and Conference in Abuja, said growth of the LPG market in Nigeria was a critical component of the nation’s gas master plan which it launched in 2010.

The minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abdulkadir Musa, expressed an urgent need for Nigeria to open up the LPG market for improved energy utilisation and economic growth.

Security concerns worsen for oil firms in Libya

Expatriate oil workers in Libya are concerned about precarious security with a government struggling to impose its authority on a myriad of armed groups who refuse to lay down their weapons. The assault on the U.S. consulate and a safe house in the eastern city, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed, has heightened fears.

Many foreign oil firms operating in Africa's third biggest oil producer have since beefed up security measures in cities bristling with weapons and have restricted staff movements to the bare minimum.

Libya, with Africa's largest oil reserves, needs foreign investment and expertise to increase oil and gas production. Oil fields have separate, secure residential compounds and thousands of former rebel fighters guard installations.

The country is aiming to be producing 2 million barrels per day by end-2015 but delays in returning foreigners workers - specifically those working for oil services firms out in the desert fields - could derail reaching the production target.

Major oil companies operating in Libya include Italy's ENI, Germany's Wintershall, France's Total, Spain's Repsol and U.S. firms Marathon and ConocoPhillips.