The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has announced that its Train 7 project, with an estimated cost of $5 billion, has progressed to 80 per cent completion level, indicating that inauguration of the facility may happen later this year or by 2026.

General Manager, External Affairs and Sustainable Development, NLNG, Dr. Sophia Horsfall, announced the latest completion level in Port Harcourt during the inauguration of 140 trainees for an intensive three-month Advanced Nigerian Content Human Capital Development (NC-HCD) Programme for the Train 7 Project on Bonny Island, Rivers State.

The programme was launched in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

The Train 7 project kicked off in December 2019 after signing of the Final Investment Decision (FID) in Abuja by the shareholders of NLNG, which comprised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Shell, TotalEnergies, and Eni.

The project with a duration of six years, was awarded to a consortium of three international service companies, namely Saipem of Italy, Chiyoda of Japan, and Daewoo of South Korea, otherwise known as the (SCD) consortium.

The Train 7 is an expansion programme of NLNG aimed at raising the company’s production capacity by 35 per cent to 30 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) from the current 22mtpa.

Meanwhile, the trainees inaugurated under the NC-HCD programme, who were graduates in different academic disciplines, had completed a 12-month Basic Training Programme in diverse oil-and-gas-industry-related skill sets.

The trainees, according to a statement by NCDMB’s Corporate Communications Department, were enrolled for the on-the-job phase, which included active hands-on participation in operational areas, such as Turn Around Maintenance (TAM), Commissioning, and Desktop Programmes, among others.

In November 2024, a set of 331 trainees under Batch A of the NLNG T7 HCD Training Programme had begun capacity development in facility management, engineering, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health Safety and Environment (HSE), Quality Assurance and Quality Control, as well as welding and fabrication.

The statement said another set of 77 trainees under Batch B of the same Training Programme began capacity development in data analytics and supply chain management among several other fields relevant to the operations of the oil and gas industry.    

Speaking further at the event, Horsfall expressed appreciation to NCDMB for productive collaboration on the HCD Programme, describing it as “a reaffirmation of NLNG’s unwavering commitment to human capital development.”

She said the support of NCDMB had enabled NLNG to effectively carry out its programmes for the development of a strong, skilled and highly professional workforce for the country’s oil and gas industry.

The trainings, which she said were particularly significant as the NLNG Train 7 Project, involved very advanced technology and had reached 80 per cent completion with highly skilled technical manpower required.

She described the training as a “robust, advanced on-the-job training programme”, adding that the trainees would work within the facilities of the NLNG on Bonny Island. 

Addressing the trainees and trainers drawn from the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) as well as management personnel of NCDMB and NLNG, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Felix Ogbe, was quoted to have said the Advanced NC-HCD training was not just a milestone, but also an expression of the collective commitment of the Board and the NLNG “to nurturing world-class Nigerian professionals who will shape the future of our oil and gas industry.”    

Ogbe said the board had remained steadfast in its conviction that human capital development was “a critical investment in the sustainability and competitiveness” of Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.

He pointed out that over 400 Nigerians had undergone basic training in diverse technical, vocational, and specialised areas and were equipped with practical skills directly aligned with industry needs.

According to the NCDMB boss, represented by Manager, Human Capital Development, Mrs. Tarilate Teide-Bribena, the Board and NLNG were “advancing even further by formally launching the on-the-job component of the Train 7 NC-HCD Programme”.

He explained that the programme would see 140 bright and promising Nigerians gain practical exposure and real-time experience across technical domains within the NLNG operational plants in Bonny Island.

Ogbe commended the NLNG, describing the company as a trusted and forward-looking partner in the development of Nigeria’s human capital base.

He stated that the company had not only complied with Nigerian Content requirements but “has consistently shown leadership in embracing the spirit of national capacity building”.

Ogbe also acknowledged the critical role of OGTAN, saying it has been instrumental in aligning training content, delivery standards, and capacity development frameworks with the actual needs of the industry.

He stated that the trainers had helped to bridge the gap between training and employability – ensuring trainees do not just learn but are ready to add value from day one.

In his closing remarks, the Nigerian Content Manager of NLNG, Dagogo Buowari, thanked NCDMB for the partnership between the two organisations, and expressed his belief that the industry would continue to benefit from their collective endeavours.

Buowari advised the trainees to get themselves organised for their three-month programme on Bonny Island, which begins on June 16, 2025, and to ensure they did not become distracted in the course of their training.