What is NLNG's Train 7, and why does a gas plant on Bonny Island matter to you?
Nigeria LNG says its seventh production unit is 94 per cent built and should start up towards the end of 2027. It will lift the plant's capacity from 22 to about 30 million tonnes a year. Here is what that means, simply.
In 30 seconds
- A "train" is one production line in a gas plant. NLNG has six and is building a seventh.
- Train 7 is 99.5 per cent through engineering, 99.8 per cent through procurement and about 94 per cent through construction, NLNG's managing director said this week.
- It should start towards the end of 2027 and lift capacity from 22 to about 30 million tonnes a year.
- More gas sold abroad means more foreign currency and revenue for Nigeria. It also needs gas from new fields such as TotalEnergies' Ima project.
Nigeria LNG, the company that turns Nigerian gas into a liquid and ships it around the world, says its newest production unit is almost finished. Here is what that means.
First, what is LNG?
Natural gas is bulky. To move it across oceans, it is cooled until it turns into a liquid, which takes up far less space. That liquid is liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Special ships carry it to buyers in Europe and Asia, where it is turned back into gas.
NLNG's plant is on Bonny Island in Rivers State. It is owned by NNPC, Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni. TotalEnergies holds 15 per cent, Rigzone reported.
What is a "train"?
A train is one complete production line inside the plant. Gas goes in at one end and comes out as a liquid at the other. NLNG has six trains working. Train 7 is the seventh.
How far along is it?
Adeleye Falade, NLNG's managing director, gave an update at a roundtable this week organised by the Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, THEWILL reported.
- Engineering is 99.5 per cent complete.
- Buying of equipment is 99.8 per cent complete.
- Construction is about 94 per cent complete.
Train 7 is expected to start operating towards the end of 2027. When it does, the plant's capacity will rise from 22 million tonnes a year to about 30 million.
About 95 per cent of the work is local content, and about 16,000 people have worked on construction, THEWILL reported.
Where will the extra gas come from?
A bigger plant needs more gas. TotalEnergies took a final investment decision this year on its Ima gas project, which will send up to 350 million cubic feet a day to NLNG. That is about a third of the gas Train 7 needs, the company said in September, according to Rigzone. Ima should start in 2028.
Why it matters to Nigeria
NLNG is one of Nigeria's biggest earners of foreign currency. Since it started, it has made about $149.6 billion in revenue, paid $47.9 billion in dividends to its owners and about $10.5 billion in taxes, Falade said, according to THEWILL.
NNPC's share of those dividends goes into government income. More output from Train 7 should mean more of that money.
Falade also said Nigeria has about 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves. "Nigeria's energy transition must be just, realistic and investable," he said.
What it means for you
You will not cook with gas from Train 7. Most of it will be sold abroad. But the dollars it earns help support the naira and the government budget, which shape the prices you pay for almost everything.
Cooking gas is a separate story, with its own supply problems. Why cooking gas has gone up again.
Words to know
- LNG
- Liquefied natural gas. Gas cooled to about minus 162°C so it shrinks into a liquid and can be shipped by sea.
- Train
- One complete production line in an LNG plant, which cleans, cools and liquefies gas.
- Mtpa
- Million tonnes per year, the usual way to measure an LNG plant's size.
- Feed gas
- The raw natural gas piped into the plant from gas fields.
Sources
- THEWILL: Nigeria, France seek more energy investment as NLNG Train 7 nears completion (4 Nov 2026)
- Rigzone: TotalEnergies farms out Nigerian exploration block (Ima gas project and NLNG stake, 1 Nov 2026)
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