Nigeria’s Path to Become a Global LNG Power Player Still Blocked by Critical Hurdles – Column

Editor’s Note: This column is part of a regular series by industry veteran Brad Hitch for NGI’s LNG Insight dedicated to addressing the complexities of the global natural gas market.

In July of last year, facing the prospect of its first winter without access to LNG supply, the European Commission (EC) sent the deputy director of its energy department on a fact finding mission to Nigeria.

The purpose of the trip was to offer as much support and encouragement as possible to better enable Nigeria to increase its natural gas exports to Europe. Beset by chronic security problems, Nigeria’s LNG exports to Europe had been faltering and the EC naturally wanted to understand if this could be reversed.

Although the soundbites that surfaced in the wake of the trip were...