A destroyed refinery By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited( NNPCL) says it has destroyed 134 illegal refineries in the last few weeks. Also, the company said 63 illegal pipeline connections were uncovered during the the weeks . The corporation, In a visual report, stated that at about 2 am on Sunday, a joint team of security agents discovered a large wooden boat illicitly loading stolen crude oil from Barge AGS01 within the OML 18 operating area, noted intelligence report a large wooden wooden boat was caught receiving crude oil from the barge. According to the state-owned oil firm, while the barge was towed away with a tugboat in custody, five speedboats used in towing the large wooden boat to the illegal loading site were also detained and the particulars of the tugboats and barge used for the operation were reportedly seized for further investigation. It further said that two large boats, which involve
By Akinola Ajibade
The Federal Government has advised Indigenous Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) to leverage on the ongoing divestments by International Oil Companies (IOCs) to significantly increase their investments in oil and gas assets in the country.
The Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, who gave this advice during the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) divestment workshop said that the development would enable local oil firms expand their portfolios and further made them to play better. The theme of the workshop: 'The Big Sale:Opportunities In The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry From Asset Divestments’
He urged IPPG to see divestments by IOCs from the Nigerian oil and gas assets, as opportunity to step in to fill the gaps in the sector.
According to a statement by Horatius Egua,
Senior Adviser, Media and Communications, the Minister of State said: “The Indigenous Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) and other potential investors, should therefore perceive the IOCs’ divestments in some of the upstream assets as opportunities, rather than a threats, to become more involved in the development of the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector”.
He urged IPPG members to strive to move their present contribution “in production and reserves to at least 50%, from about 30% for crude oil and 20% for gas producton, as well as 40% and 32% for oil and gas reserves, respectively”.
Sylva, who spoke virtually stated that the government was desirous to create the enabling environment for IPPG and other interested parties to play big in the ongoing divestments in the sector.
“To facilitate this, the Ministry of Petroleum Resorces, in fulfilment of its mandate to “Promote an enabling environment for Investment in Nigerian Petroleum Industry” as enshrined in Section 3 (e) of the PIA, is setting up a one-stop Oil and Gas
Investment centre to create an enabling business environment for would-be investors,” he said.
He assured potential investors “that divestments will be adequately managed to ensure that Nigeria remains a prime destination for competitive oil and gas business. We will continue to listen to our stakeholders to ensure the right steer for our industry”.
He maintained that despite the worldwide clamor for transition to renewable energy sources, “it is certain that anticipated economic growth and rising global population, especially in Asia and Africa, will significantly push energy demand upward to a level that renewable energy sources only
cannot meet by 2050. As global energy consumption grows, it is apparent that Oil and Gas will remain significant components of future energy mix”.
“Therefore, there is ample opportunity for profitable investments into the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, with its enormous Oil and Gas reserves of over 37 billion barrels and about 209 trillion cubic feet (TCF) respectively,” he stated further.
Sylva said the passage and signing into law of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021 (PIA) has cleared the path of every possible obstacles that would have hitherto hindered investment in the oil and gas sector adding that “the PIA is a supply-side enabler, crafted to provoke and trigger commercial interests and investments in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry”.
He stated further that “The Act also has generous incentives to enable development, distribution, penetration, and utilisation of oil and gas”.
The minister noted that the “discussion on the divestment in Nigeria’s oil and gas is highly crucial at this critical time in the Nigerian oil and gas industry”.
Sylva traced divestment in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector by IOCs to 2006 adding that it increased in 2010 mainly due to the hostile environment arising from the menace of crude oil theft.
“This, without doubt, made some IOCs to re-balance their portfolios to take advantage of the incentives for offshore oil and gas development under the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act and PIA, and to avoid host community issues related with onshore and shallow water leases and licenses,” he said.
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