Page 18 - DMEA Week 42

DMEA REFINING DMEA

NNPC pledges to ensure oil supplies

to Ibigwe modular refinery

NIGERIA NIGERIAN National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) be able to start delivering its production to the
has pledged to ensure reliable deliveries of crude market immediately after commissioning, as it
NNPC has said it wants oil to the new modular refinery that Waltersmith had already signed off-take agreements with a
the project to succeed. Petroman Oil is building at the Ibigwe oilfield in number of buyers. “We will be producing 271mn
Imo State. litres of petroleum products to meet some of the
Mele Kyari, the group managing director of requirement of [the] south-eastern market,” he
state-owned NNPC, said in a message to the stated.
Nigerian company last week that his company Isah also said he expected the plant to benefit
wanted the refinery project to succeed and help the country’s economy on multiple levels. “As we
the country reduce its reliance on imported began to work on the modular refinery project,
petroleum products. To this end, state-owned we started to see the economic value and impact
NNPC will provide support on an operational on Nigeria,” he stated. “The project will also
level by ensuring the 5,000 barrel per day (bpd) ensure import substitution, energy security for
plant’s access to feedstock and on a policy level the nation, lower of the company’s operating cost
by collaborating with relevant institutions, he and create lots of jobs.”
stated. His words were echoed by Chikezie Nwosu,
“We will work closely with Waltersmith to the managing director and CEO of Waltersmith,
ensure that it gets enough crude feedstock it who said the modular refinery had already cre-
needs to operate seamlessly,” Kyari wrote in a ated many jobs and would continue to do so after
message delivered to Waltersmith’s management its commissioning. “When the tankers start lift-
by Yusuf Usman, the COO of NNPC’s Gas and ing products, you will see immense impact on
Power division. “We are also looking forward to job creation [and on the] growth of the SMEs
the Phase 2 of the project when the refinery will [small and medium-sized enterprises] in the
start producing premium [gasoline], which we communities around, with the attendant growth
largely need in this country.” of the local GDP,” he commented.
Usman paid a visit to the refinery last week, Waltersmith began constructing the Ibigwe
ahead of a commissioning ceremony scheduled refinery’s first stage in 2018. Isah noted last week
for October 26. He praised Waltersmith’s efforts that the company hoped to expand the plant’s
to establish new domestic capacity, saying: “It is a capacity to 50,000 bpd in multiple stages. “We
landmark achievement and it shows that we can have started with the first module, which is
actually refine our crude oil in-country.” 5,000 barrels. The next module will be 25,000
Abdulrasaq Isah, the company’s chairman, barrels. Then the finale module will be 20,000,”
responded by saying that the new refinery would he explained. ™

P18 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 42 22•October•2020