Page 9 - DMEA Week 37 2021

DMEA REFINING DMEA

Namibian govt urged to require

ReconAfrica to build refinery

AFRICA THEMISTOKLES Murorua, a member of to decide whether to build such a plant.
Namibia’s lower house of Parliament, has Namibian officials cannot come to any con-
urged Windhoek to demand that ReconAfrica clusions yet, since no commercial oil discoveries
(Canada) build a refinery as it proceeds with have been made to date, the minister explained.
the development of crude oil reserves in the “Right now, no oil has been found,” he was
Kavango basin. quoted as saying by New Era. “Only when it is
Murorua, a member of the opposition faction found, then we can enter an agreement with the
known as United Democratic Front (UDF), said company ... We could consider that if and when
last week that the government ought to push for the oil is found.”
the construction of an oil-processing plant as In any event, Alweendo remarked, building
a pre-condition for approval of ReconAfrica’s an oil-processing plant is not a sure-fire way to
future development plans. bring fuel prices down. “It does not mean when
Namibia may not be able to optimise its gains we have a refinery here, we will have a cheaper
from oil projects if it does not develop the capac- product,” he declared.
ity to meet its own need for petroleum products, ReconAfrica is working with NAMCOR,
he argued. the national oil company (NOC) of Namibia, to
“Or are we going to export raw [crude] oil and explore the PEL 73 licence area in the Kavango
buy fuel back at a high price? In [the] absence of basin.
that condition, the government of Namibia must The two companies signed a joint operating
have a plan to put up a refinery,” he remarked. agreement (JOA) earlier this year, not long after
Namibia’s Mines and Energy Minister Tom ReconAfrica reported that it had found evidence
Alweendo, who was present in the National of a working conventional petroleum system in
Assembly on the same day, responded to the 6-1, its second exploration well at PEL 73.
MP’s statements by declaring that Windhoek This marked ReconAfrica’s second discovery
had not made any decisions about the construc- since the beginning of 2021, as its first explora-
tion of an oil refinery to supply the domestic fuel tion well – 6-2, drilled 16 km to the south – also
market. contained a working conventional petroleum
He said the government was not in a position system.™

Week 37 16•September•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P9