The Trans Saharan Mega Project Reflective Report2.

The Trans Saharan Mega Project Reflective Report1
THE TRANS SAHARAN MEGA PROJECT REFLECTIVE REPORT
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The Trans Saharan Mega Project Reflective Report2
Reflective Report: The Trans Sahara Mega Project
Executive Summary
The exhaustion of natural resources in European nations is a phenomenon that has
brought benefits to the African Nations in the Sub Saharan region. This discourse examines the
Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline project, which is a project expected to help alleviate poverty in the
African nations involved and also help the European countries get much-needed resources. The
gas pipeline entails the creation of an oil pipeline that is expected to run from Niger Delta basin
in Nigeria, to Niger then to Algeria. The project is expected to cost almost 14 billion dollars, and
as such, it is classified as a mega project. For a mega project to run successfully, various issues
must be addressed. Firstly, the viability of the project must be examined, and in the case of this
project, oil is on demand in Europe, yet it is available in plenty in Nigeria to meet the demand.
Secondly, the discourse addresses the management process of such a big and complex project.
The paper states that this project will require that the project be segmented into smaller sessions,
and each is managed by different manager expected to work under a single project manager. The
project also is a business contract that will take a long time will require that the involved parties
sign a contract to ensure each party respects their end of the agreement. Optimum biases and risk
assessments are among some of the project management issues that have been addressed
regarding this oil project.
Introduction
It is without a doubt that recently, Sub Sahara African nations have improved in their
initiation of income generating projects that are intended to alleviate the countries from poverty.
Africa has, for a long time, been known for its surplus natural resources that are found in surplus.
The state of Nigeria, in particular, is leading the other oil producing countries in Africa in oil

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production. Further proof on Nigeria’s richness in oil can be found in different studies that have
revealed that on an annual basis, Nigeria produces more than two million barrels. Plans have
been initiated to help in the exportation of oil from Nigeria in Africa to European Countries. One
of such programs is The Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline which was undertaken to achieve the goal
of exporting oil from oil-rich-countries like Nigeria and Algeria to European countries (Akuru
and Okoro, 2011, p. 02).
Consequently, plans are underway to construct oil pipelines from Africa to Europe,
beginning with Nigeria to Algeria. A pilot plan of the Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline has revealed
that the pipes are expected to start from Niger Delta favorite for its oil fields that have plenty of
this natural resource. Starting the pipelines from this basin is crucial because it will ensure an
adequate supply of oil. The pipes will then cross various parts of the country before going out to
other countries on its way to Europe. On its way, it is expected to pass through the tropical
forests of northern Nigeria. It will then pass through Niger before landing in Algeria and further
pass through arid and semi-arid regions as well as the savanna areas of this part of the continent.
The engineers who drafted this pilot plan were keen on making the piping much more
straightforward and therefore they have proposed that the pipes have to pass through the Sahel in
Niger because it is a much easier route to connect to Nigeria (Zongzhi, Rujun, and Wang, 2014,
p. 01). It is believed that this route will manage faster transportation of the oil from Nigeria to
Algeria. The last place the oil plant is expected to land in is Hassi region (Environmental Justice
Atlas, 2018, n.p). This decision was also arrived at after the realization that most gas pipelines in
West Africa pas through Atlas Mountain before connecting in HassiR’mel region. The
convergence of all pipes in Hassi is also preferable because there is plenty of natural gas in this
area and so most natural gas pipelines converge at this point. The convenience of Hessi does not

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just stop at the connectivity of natural gas pipelines, but it is also convenient because there are
many pipelines to transport oil through the sub-Mediterranean links found within the region.
Additionally, the Mediterranean coast is equipped with many pipes such as Glass, Maghreb, and
Medgaz (Environmental Justice Atlas, 2018, n.p). In a nutshell, piping oil from Niger Delta,
through northern Nigeria to HassiR’mel region and finally to the Mediterranean coast is
excellent for speedy exportation.
When it comes to cost, the proposed plan is expected to cost thirteen billion dollars for
the project to be up and running. If this project succeeds, then it will be one among other mega
gas plants in Africa. The Trans Saharan gas plant is a big project that will cost billions because it
is expected to transport one billion cubic meters of oil. It is also going to run a long distance,
from Nigeria to Algeria (Wu, Zhang, and Yu, 2014, p. 01). Funding such a significant and
expensive and project requires several stakeholders, and so, the involved nations have sought for
funds from interested lenders in European. The lenders are willing to finance the project from its
initiation to its completion. Some of the targeted lenders are Anglo-Dutch shell, Spanish natural
gas organization, and French total.
Project Viability
Assessing project viability is necessary since it proves if the project is likely to succeed
and achieve the intended goals. The Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline is a viable project because of
several reasons. The first reason is in the region of choice. The company intends to make Niger
Delta in Nigeria their primary source of oil, which is appropriate because this region is the
largest source of natural gas. The richness in oil, however, is not the only advantage because the
part is also a deficient population around the area intended for the oil plant (Lyons and Plisga,

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2005, p. 115). A small community means reduced risks from vandalism and also loss of lives in
cases of emergencies. The area also is similar to Atlas because the city has plenty of oil and
natural gas and the benefits of this is that there will be a constant supply of the natural resource
for a very long time before it becomes exhausted. The Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline will be
capable of enjoying the resources and making enough profits before it is exhausted. Studies by
Akuru and Okoro (2011, p. 05) has shown that it might take another 40 years before Nigerian oil
is drained. However, the same study has shown that the oil reserve has increased, which makes
this approximation to be on the lower side.
The second reasons why the project is viable is in the geopolitical relations between the
nations involved. State relations are very crucial in the success of international projects like this
one that requires the support of the different nations. Therefore, the oil piping project is likely to
succeed and achieve its goals because the three countries involved have excellent geopolitical
relations. The rapport between the nations has led to the opening up of business transaction
fronts like the current gas pipeline project (EITEP Institute., 2019). The agreement that has been
made between the nations involved in the project have proved that the project is likely to succeed
and achieve its primary goal of piping oil and natural gas from the region to Europe. The project
also hopes that ultimately, nations will benefit from the initiative and supply to the targeted
market will be constant. The project is viable since Nigeria produces enough crude oil to meet
the needs of demand by the European market.
The continent of Europe has currently run out of natural resources like oil and natural
gas. Due to the lack of these resources, some nations in this region have resolved to import these
resources that are on high demand from countries with plenty of supply and then sell to the other
nations. The need for oil and natural gas by European governments is not ending any time soon

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primarily because most factories in the continent rely on fuel and machinery are powered using
fuels (Liu, 2003, 59). Furthermore, there are oil wells that have been found in Europe, but these
wells are fragile, and experts have cautioned that heavy mining may deplete these wells. These
factors discussed are contributors to the increased and constant demand for oil and natural gas in
Europe. They are also an indicator that the project is viable because the demand for oil and
natural gas in Europe is not going to end, and importation is inevitable.
The project is also viable because the alternative source of fuel has additional costs that
make it unpopular. Liquefied gas is another way of getting fuel, but this method required that the
company involved must re-gasify methane into the liquid gas. Latha and Indian Geotechnical
Conference (2019 p.106) state that liquefied natural gas has to be gasified using methane to
return it to its initial state. This approach is quite expensive compared to piping, which is also
readily available. When natural gas is piped in its original state, the processes it has to undergo
before it is used are quite more straightforward since they involve processing the natural gas to
different fuels used in Europe (Wagner and Armstrong, 2010). Therefore, this ease in the
process makes piping a more viable method of supplying oil and natural gas.
Another reason that makes the Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline project a viable one is the fact
that Russia currently is the major supplier of oil in Europe and such a scenario has several
disadvantages. One of the outstanding demerits is that, when many nations rely only on one
source of supply, prices are likely to be higher. However, in the case of Nigeria, there are several
vast oil reserves capable of supplying the European market and meeting the needs of Europe.
The oil reserves in this African nation has been surveyed and found to produce up to two million
barrels of oil annually, as indicated earlier. Consequently, since Russia has increased the prices
of oil because it is the major supplier and the demand is high, European nations are likely to