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time many citizens are starting to experience deliveries that are currently running at record in 2015 and 2016 and the even more
existential problems,” he stressed. levels. far-reaching impact of the COVID-19
As reported by Czech Television, most pandemic.”
coalition parties are in favour of implementing News of Barkindo’s death elicited sadness
a special tax on energy companies. The parties OPEC secretary-general dies in from many prominent industry figures. For
argue that the energy companies are currently example, NJ Ayuk, the executive chairman
seeing a massive rise in profits amid the Abuja of the African Energy Chamber (AEC),
energy crisis. said in a Twitter post: “Got up to the sad
According to the proposal submitted by Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, the secretary- news of the passing of my mentor, friend,
the coalition Pirate Party, a 25% windfall tax general of OPEC, died unexpectedly in confidant and big brother Barkindo. One of
could add between CZK10bn to CZK 20bn Abuja late on July 5. the few persons I talk to many times daily.
into the state budget. The tax could enter into Barkindo, a Nigerian national, died less Joked about his speech at NOG. He told me
force either this October or in January 2023, than a day after giving the keynote speech at about his meeting with Buhari. He sent me
for two to three years. “Helping citizens with an industry summit in the Nigerian capital. messages at midnight and I got up and he is
expensive energy will cost CZK70bn this year. His death was announced in a Twitter post gone.”.
But a responsible state should not put the by Mele Kyari, the group managing director
country in more debt,” MP Jakub Michalek of Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd
(Pirates) told Czech Radio Plus. (NNPC Ltd). Croatia loses international
The Pirates came up with three variants “We lost our esteemed Dr Muhammad
of the new tax. The first one would apply on Sanusi Barkindo. He died at about 11pm arbitration against Hungary’s
companies producing electricity from coal; yesterday, 5 July 2022. Certainly a great loss
the second one on companies producing to his immediate family, the NNPC, our Mol over oil refinery INA
electricity from nuclear energy; and the third country Nigeria, the OPEC and the global
variant proposes the tax to be applied on all energy community. Burial arrangements Croatia has lost an arbitration case at the
energy companies with a turnover of over will be announced shortly,” Kyari wrote. International Centre for Settlement of
CZK500mn per year. As of press time, Barkindo’s cause of Investment Disputes against Hungary’s
The new tax has been supported also by death had not been specified. MOL over years-long dispute related
the President Milos Zeman who stressed Barkindo began serving as OPEC’s to obligations defined in a deal for the
that he doesn’t think that the government is secretary-general in August 2016 after acquisition of a stake in Croatian oil
doing enough to help lift inflation pressures holding a variety of posts within OPEC refinery INA, Vecernji List daily reported
from citizens. “Inflation is heaviest for the and the Nigerian government. Most of on July 6.
population in energy prices and food prices,” his government posts were with state- Currently, MOL owns 49% of INA and
he said on CNN Prima News. owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. the Croatian state owns 45%.
(NNPC), the predecessor to NNPC Ltd, According to the daily, the government
which was formed last year under the will have to pay damages worth between
Europe’s gas storage Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). $250mn and $300mn to Mol.
His career at NNPC culminated in
Mol claimed that the Croatian
reaches 60% as non- 2009-2010, when he served as head of the government did not respect the provisions
of a 2009 agreement on the sale of a stake in
company, also acting in that capacity as
Russian deliveries Nigeria’s governor for OPEC. Additionally, INA to Mol. According to these provisions,
he was Nigeria’s representative on OPEC’s
the state had to divest the loss-making gas
accelerate Economic Commission Board between business from INA after the acquisition.
1993 and 2008 and briefly served as OPEC’s
The government was supposed to take
Natural gas storage tanks in Europe were acting secretary-general in 2006. over the underground gas storage facility
just shy of 60% full on July 4 as non-Russian Barkindo had travelled to Abuja in at Okoli, and to take over the entire
supplies of gas appear to have surged in the preparation for retirement from his position gas trading part of INA, which had not
last weeks. at OPEC, as he was due to step down at happened.
The race is to collect enough gas so that the the end of July. His successor has been This was the second arbitration case
storage tanks are 80% full by October 1 that named as Haitham al-Ghais, a long-time Croatian government has lost to MOL.
will ensure Europe’s power and heating needs Kuwaiti oil executive currently serving as Croatia turned to the Arbitral Tribunal
for the coming winter. The only time in the deputy managing director for international of the United Nations Commission on
last ten years when Europe had less gas on this marketing at Kuwait Petroleum Corp. International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in
date was in 2021, when it started the heating (KPC). Al-Ghais has held many positions Geneva in 2014 with the aim of cancelling
season with tanks 77% full, and that was within KPC and also acted as Kuwait’s a 2009 deal that allowed MOL to obtain a
enough to cause a big energy crisis that saw OPEC governor between 2017 and 2021. dominant position in INA. MOL won the
prices on the gas spot market increase 20-fold. According to press reports, Barkindo arbitration case in December 2016. After
As bne IntelliNews reported in June, met with Nigerian President Muhammadu the ruling, the country has attempted twice
even with the reduced flows from Gazprom, Buhari in Abuja. He also used the occasion to appeal it without success.
Europe was still on course to meet the of his speech at the summit to draw At the end of 2022, the government of
October 1 deadline – and it still is. attention to the shocks that have hit the Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said it
Despite the reduction in Russian gas, global oil and gas industry over the last intends again to appeal that ruling..
deliveries from other sources saw the injection decade. He described the sector as “under
rate accelerate in the second half of June siege,” saying it had been affected by “two
(chart), presumably from increased LNG major cycles: the severe market downturn

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