Page 14 - AfrOil Week 48 2020

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

The modular refinery processes crude from the Ibigwe field (Photo: Waltersmith Petroman Oil)
Waltersmith said last week that it hoped to bring position the south-eastern region as a major
other companies working along the hydrocar- manufacturing hub and take advantage of the
bon value chain – manufacturers of petrochem- African Continental Free Trade Agreement
icals, plastics and pharmaceuticals, as well as [ACFTA], which the Nigerian government has
research organisations and light manufacturing currently signed [up to].”
enterprises – to the park. Waltersmith commissioned the first phase of
In order to attract such tenants, it will offer to the refinery in late November, about a year after
provide partners with direct access to valuable beginning construction. This unit can process
raw materials from the refinery. Additionally, it 5,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and store
will invest heavily in infrastructure so that it can up to 60,000 barrels, and it will produce diesel
provide reliable electricity supplies and utility fuel, kerosene, naphtha and residual fuel oil for
services. domestic consumption.
Abdularazaq Isah, the chairman of Walter- The company hopes eventually to raise the
smith, said at a ceremony marking the signing plant’s throughput capacity to 50,000 bpd by
of the TSA that the project would help fuel building two more units, one that can process
economic growth in south-eastern Nigeria. He 25,000 bpd and another that can handle 20,000
stated: “Our goal is to create an industrial cluster bpd. The new facilities will be able to produce
in Ibigwe and help reduce manufacturing costs, gasoline, aviation fuel and LPG. ™

Botswana Oil Ltd seeks to

ensure national fuel supplies

BOTSWANA BOTSWANA Oil Ltd (BOL) has pledged to in the fuel sector. He did not name any specific
work harder to ensure adequate fuel supplies in investment targets but said Gaborone supported
the wake of recent shortages. plans to construct additional storage facilities
According to Mosetlho Kenamile, the com- for the purpose of building up larger inventories.
pany’s acting COO, BOL is working to identify BOL will expand existing storage networks
new suppliers to compensate for fluctuations in in order to ensure that the country can store
shipments from South Africa, which has long enough petroleum products to cover 60 days of
been the country’s main source of petroleum consumption, he explained. It will achieve this
products. The company is hoping to secure goal by adding 38-60mn litres of storage capac-
fuel from Mozambique, which appears to have ity to its facilities at Francistown, he said.
enough to permit exports to Botswana, he said The company also intends to build storage
during a media workshop in Gaborone. facilities in the Tshele Hills, Kenamaile noted.
In the long term, he added, it also aims to buy This project will help Botswana consolidate
refined fuels from Namibia and Zimbabwe. its fuel supplies but will also support plans for
Meanwhile, the BOL head continued, Bot- future fuel trade with Zambia and other neigh-
swana’s government would like to invest more bouring countries, he said.

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 48 02•December•2020