Fresh worries for oil, gas projects over ESG standards

• ARDA Seeks Options For Nigeria, Africa Downstream Oil Sector 
• Stakeholders Raise Alarm Over Protection Of Energy Infrastructure 

Oil and gas experts are worried over the impacts of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues on financing for oil and gas projects, insisting that unless borrowers like Nigeria and other African oil producers quickly adapt, securing necessary funding for the sector may remain very difficult. 

In the face of huge refining, storage and supply deficits, over $15.7 billion (+/- 50%) is reportedly needed to upgrade the existing refineries on the African continent alone to produce cleaner, AFRI-6 fuels (10 ppm sulphur content), and a clear focus on the ESG contributions of such projects is imperative.

Indeed, over $160 billion projects are currently under financial threat in Nigeria’s upstream oil sector even as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said oil nations might find it difficult to raise over $12.6 trillion needed for oil and gas investment before 2045.
 

Kragha reiterated that financing of oil and gas sector is in a state of transition, a development which is forcing closure of traditional sources of capital, especially from the World Bank and other national and international development finance institutions (DFIs).

The impacts of the ESG, according to him, mean that projects seeking funding must account for enhanced health, safety and environment standards with due diligence and reporting requirements, as well as updated Equator Principles (EP4), which all combine to impact financing costs. 

Speaking virtually at ARDA Work Group Workshop Series on HSE & Quality on May 31, Kragha insisted that investors must now demonstrate how their HSE and Corporate Social Responbility (CSR) practices contribute to return on investment and business performance.

Disclosing that green projects have increasingly attracted more funding than fossil fuel projects since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015, he urged professionals, especially in the HSE segment, to assist the sector in complying with global ESG best practices, particularly in the area of environmental issues. 

“COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have more than ever highlighted the need for refining of petroleum products in Africa. We can’t expand our capacity without finance. For us to get sustainable finance, we must prioritise HSE,” Kragha noted. 

The Executive Secretary said HSE operational excellence remained fundamental to success in downstream oil industry and inextricably linked to productivity, risk and cost, adding that all employees, including boardroom members and frontline operators must understand how their decisions impact the business.
 
Also speaking at the event, Executive Chairman of Energy & Natural Resource Security, Inc. (ENRS), Derek Campbell said Nigeria and other countries have more to worry about on the security of energy infrastructure. 

While speaking on “Energy Security: The Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resource Assets,” Campbell decried persistent vandalism of infrastructure in the Niger Delta.

Stating that cases of security attacks, including drone attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, METCALF Power Station sniper attack, ransomware attack on Sonangol in 2019 cost the sector huge loses, Campbell said there is lack of domain awareness in the sector, 

According to him, the energy must now prioritise physical and cyber risk mitigation solutions for critical energy infrastructure and natural resource assets.

Campbell sees Energy Security Risk & Resiliency Assessments (ESRRAs) as a practice that countries must now prioritise to avert growing dangers to critical energy infrastructure. 
 
Offering Manager for Honeywell UOP’s thermal oxidizers business, Janet Ruettiger, stated that UOP’s new nViro technology would provide solutions to help the refining sector achieve emission specifications more efficiently and more economically with less environmental impact.

With the approach, Ruettiger said organisations could rethink the way waste management is approached across refineries, stressing that it enables waste management to be integrated with the design of the Process Units, thereby providing opportunity for optimization and improvements.