Tenaris invests $10m in Nigeria’s thermal insulation plant

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us Tenaris invests $10m in Nigeria’s thermal insulation plant Energy October 15, 2026 12:11 am By Dare Olawin Kindly share this story:

Tenaris Global Services has invested about $10m in upgrading its thermal insulation plant in Onne, Rivers State, following the completion of a pipe coating campaign for the Bonga North deepwater oil project.

The investment involved the refurbishment and upgrade of the company’s five-layer coating line, making it the only five-layer thermal insulation plant in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a statement by the company.

The plant was commissioned during an event at the Federal Lighter Terminal, Oil and Gas Free Zone, Onne, which also marked 25 years of Tenaris’ operations in Nigeria and the completion of the Bonga North pipe coating campaign.

The company said the project involved three-layer polypropylene anti-corrosion coating and five-layer polypropylene thermal insulation coating, which were executed in Nigeria within an accelerated schedule.

Managing Director of Tenaris in Nigeria, Rosario Osobase, said the investment reflected the company’s commitment to developing local expertise and supporting the country’s energy industry.

“These achievements, including the commissioning of the only 5 Layer Thermal Insulation Plant in Sub Saharan Africa, reflect our long-term commitment to supporting the growth of Nigeria’s energy industry through investment, innovation and the development of local expertise,” she stated, noting that the Bonga North project leaves a lasting legacy of technical capability and demonstrates the maturity of Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem.

Commercial Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Caspian Sea, Alessandro D’Angelo, maintained that sustained investment and project activity would be important to increasing local value creation.

“Reaching this milestone reflects our confidence in Nigeria’s long-term potential,” he said, adding that continuity of investment and project activity will be critical to strengthening local value creation as new opportunities emerge.

Tenaris said it had maintained its operations in Nigeria despite reduced project activity and market uncertainty between 2014 and 2023, when several pipe companies closed and engineering, procurement and construction firms exited the country.

The company added that it retained its oil country tubular goods threading facility in Onne, continued training its workforce through local and international assignments and maintained its coating capabilities in anticipation of renewed demand.

It added that it had supplied more than 20,000 tonnes of oil country tubular goods over the past decade for legacy Shell assets now operated by Renaissance Africa Energy Company.

Through its subsidiary, Pipe Coaters Nigeria Limited, the company said it participated in gas pipeline projects in Nigeria.

Senior Director, Commercial, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tenaris, Juan Juanicotena, added that the Bonga North coating campaign was completed on schedule despite its technical demands.

“This demonstrates that Nigeria possesses the people, infrastructure and industrial capabilities required to execute projects of the highest quality standards and positions the country strongly for future developments such as Bonga Southwest, Obodo and Zabazaba,” he said.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, commended the company for remaining in Nigeria during difficult periods.

“Tenaris did not leave,” he said, referring to the period when several companies withdrew from the market.

Lokpobiri, who is also the chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, said consistent implementation of local content legislation is necessary to sustain companies investing in local industrial capacity and preserve skilled jobs.

Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, Olu Verheijen, said in a virtual keynote address that Tenaris’ continued operations in Nigeria reflected its confidence in the country through investments in infrastructure and workforce development.

The company said its global operations include manufacturing facilities in 17 countries and service centres in 19 countries. It has about 25,000 employees from more than 100 nationalities and an annual steel pipe production capacity of eight million tonnes.

Other industry officials at the event included the Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Enorense Amadasu; pioneer Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa; and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company, Tony Attah, who was represented by the company’s Vice President, Development, Wells and Technology, Abdulrahman Mijinyawa.

The Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company was represented by Bonga North Project Director, Ian Kellagher, while other representatives from oil companies and industry associations also attended.

Dare Olawin is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over a decade of reporting experience. He began his career as a community reporter and now covers the energy sector, including oil, gas, electricity, and renewables. Dare’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, professional development through workshops and conferences, and a strong commitment to accurate and insightful journalism.

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