Local Content: Solewant Plans LSAW Pipe Milling Plant in Nigeria
Ejiofor Alike
As part of its commitment to local capacity development, Solewant Group has unveiled its ongoing investment in Longitudinal Submerged Arc Welded (LSAW) pipe milling plant in Nigeria to meet up with the growing needs for steel pipes in upcoming offshore and onshore projects in sub-saharan Africa.
Group Executive Director of Solewant Group, Mr. Matthew Aganren stated that the company’s Steel pipe Manufacturing Plant is a technology that produces 12- inch to 56-inch steel pipes for the oil and gas industry.
He disclosed that the company is now able to conform to tailormade solutions for the most demanding project requirement.
According to him, the company is taking advantage of its strong industrial system, years of industry experience in pipeline corrosion protection, extensive inspection and testing programmes with state- of –theart multilayer pipe coating plant, concrete weight coating plant and laboratory facilities.
Speaking during the presentation of oil and gas competence by his company at the Nigerian Pavilion in this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) held in Houston, Texas, United States , Aganren said the participation of Solewant in this year’s edition of the OTC was in line with the vision of the Group to showcase its brand new pipe coating plant, concrete weight coating plant and ultra modern pipe coating laboratory facilities.
He added that these automated factories were configured to respond to corporate dream of Solewant and to become one of the major participants in value creation in Nigeria’s challenging business environment, local job creation, increased GDP, and technology transfer.
“We are known for quality and visitors to our stand can testify to the quality of facilities that we have acquired over the years, through slide that shows how our workers execute various projects at our facilities in Nigeria,” he said.
He added that the company is committed to the formation of strategic, veritable, formidable partnership and consortium with foreign technical partners.
According to him, the alliance is revealed in the competence and proven performance in line pipe and field joint coating services for leading indigenous and international oil and gas services firms.
He further pointed out that this competence and proven performances have given the company a solid reputation that is built on consistency, expertise and client support.
He noted that it has also helped the company to be strategically positioned to provide both unique pipeline coating equipment, necessary skills and standard end to end pipe protection services to oil and gas companies.
In his remark, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru stated that the vision of NNPC is to encourage Steel pipe production in Nigeria within the next five years.
Solewant Group with its subsidiaries - Solewant Nigeria Limited, Solewant Specialty Protective Coatings & Paints Limited, and Field Joint Coating Limited, provides steel pipe and field joint coating services in support of oil, gas, water, chemical processing, mining, refining, electric utility, transportation and marine industries.
Reacting to the presentation by Solewant, Baru said that the vision of NNPC is to encourage Steel pipe production in Nigeria within the next five years.