Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Mohammad Abdullahi has called for strategic inputs and cooperation from stakeholders in the HI Optimised Offshore to Onshore Gas Processing Facilities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) and Sunlink Energies and Resources Limited.

Abdulahi made this call on Friday, August 24, 2024 during an Environmental Impact Assessment Workshop fot the HI Field Development – Offshore to Bonny (OTB) Project in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which was facilitated by the Sunlink Joint Venture.

“I, therefore, appeal to stakeholders here present to constructively participate in this scoping workshop and provide meaningful contribution that will enrich the draft report to meet National and International acceptable standard.”  

The Bonny Environment Consultants Committee (BECC) represented Bonny Kingdom, while the Finima Capacity Development Committee (FCDC) represented Finima Community in Bonny LGA, at the workshop.  

The Minister informed that the project, which is being proposed by Sunlink Energies and Resources Limited seeks “to produce 350mmscf/d from an offshore wellhead that will be connected through multiphase pipeline to an onshore processing facility within the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal”.

He noted that “despite the laudable benefits expected from this project. It is important to note that it has associated significant environment, social and health hazards that needs to be carefully identified and adequately mitigated”.

Calling on the proponent, Sunlink Energies and Resources Limited, frontloads to stakeholders, the Minister urged the affected communities “to lay down what they feel might be the impact (positive and negative) as far as the project is involved and their expectations from the proponent”, stressing that “this will enable the entire team proffer possible mitigation against any negative impact”.

“As enshrined in our Constitution, it is the responsibility of my Ministry, in collaboration with other tiers of government to ensure that proposed development projects are sustainably implemented with minimal negative impacts on humans and the Environment.”  

Speaking at the Workshop, the Construction Manager of the HI Project, Dr Chisom Ezeocha expressed his appreciation to the participants, noting that their input was critical to the success, sustainability and safe parameters of the project, assuring that all processes involved in the project implementation would adhere to global best practices.

Various resource persons also took turns to explain different aspects of the project, its ramifications and envisaged impacts, expected adavantages, and the various opportrunities inherent for various categories of stakeholders.  

The Bonny Environment Consultants Committee (BECC) had seasoned environmental consultants, Dr Akie Hart, Smart Halliday and environmental justice expert, Idaminim Hailsham, among others in attendance, while the Finima Capacity Development Committee (FCDC) delegation included Wari-Alabo Amoni Hart, legal practitioner, Owuna Fenibo, and Dr Bara Kabaka Brown, among others.

The Minister also constituted a panel of Nigerian experts and regulators to evaluate the draft scoping workshop report of the proposed project, and also “come up with unbiased recommendation that shall assist the Ministry in taking appropriate decision for the good of all stakeholders and community”.

According to him, the panel, which members he did not name, is mandated to: 1) Assess and evaluate all the comments received from sta keholders, regulators and experts on the report of this project. 2) Appraise the adequacy of the Data and Information contained in the report, and 3) Make appropriate recommendations to the Minister of Environment on the overall adequacy of this scoping workshop report.