Page 7 - DMEA Week 05 2023
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DMEA POLICY & SECURITY DMEA
Fight against illegal oil refining
makes significant progress
NIGERIA NIGERIA’S Joint Task Force, Operation Delta resulted in the seizure of a substantial amount of
Safe, has made remarkable progress in the fight illicitly obtained oil products, including 274,000
against illegal oil refining in the South-south litres of crude oil, 71,000 litres of automotive gas
region over the past two weeks, the Defence oil, and 15 AK-47 rifles. Forty people have also
Headquarters (DHQ) has claimed. been arrested.
According to Musa Danmadami, the Defence Air operations as part of Operation Delta Safe
Media Operations Director, troops have suc- have also seen raids on several illegal refining
cessfully destroyed 39 illegal oil refining sites, 48 sites and creeks in Rivers State.
cooking ovens, 103 storage tanks, 27 dugout pits Oil theft in Nigeria has been a significant
and 33 wooden boats, while also recovering one problem for years, peaking in 2022, when the
tug boat, a barge, three pumping machines, three country lost over $2bn in revenues. Theft even
speed boats and 13 vehicles. caused Nigeria to miss its OPEC allowance on
Speaking on January 26th, Danmadami numerous occasions, contributing to the coun-
also explained that the ongoing operation has try’s ever-worsening forex problem.
Uganda issues construction
licence to EACOP
UGANDA UGANDA’S government has issued France’s the ongoing land access process,” he said. “We
TotalEnergies and its partners in the East Africa are grateful to the government of Uganda for the
Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) consortium a con- expedited delivery of the application as per the
struction licence, paving the way for work to commitment in the Host Government Agree-
begin on the link that will allow crude from the ment (HGA) and the continuous support for
Lake Albert fields to begin flowing to market in implementation of the EACOP project.”
2025. EACOP is the midstream component of
According to local press reports, Uganda’s LADP, a $10bn initiative that aims to monetise
Energy and Mineral Development Minister Uganda’s as-yet untapped crude oil resources. It
Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu presented the envisions the construction of a 1,443-km pipe-
licence to the EACOP consortium on January line from Hoima in western Uganda to Tanga, a
25, during a ceremony marking the beginning port on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast.
of drilling work at the Kingfisher oilfield. The EACOP pipeline will carry oil from the
She said the document had been issued in line Tilenga and Kingfisher oilfields, which TotalEn-
with Ugandan law and in response to the request ergies and China National Offshore Oil Corp.
the group submitted to the ministry on July 1, (CNOOC) are due to bring online starting in
2022. 2025, and it will be heated to compensate for the
Martin Tiffen, the managing director of the waxy nature of the crude.
EACOP consortium, expressed appreciation CNOOC’s Kingfisher field and TotalEner-
for Nankabirwa’s actions. The group is now in a gies’ Tilenga field will eventually see yields top
position to begin building the Ugandan section 250,000 barrels per day, with 216,000 bpd flow-
of the pipeline, he stated. ing to world markets via EACOP. The balance
“This marks another step forward for EACOP will be directed to an as-yet unbuilt refinery in
as it allows the commencement of our construc- Uganda for processing into fuels for consump-
tion activities in Uganda upon completion of tion in local and regional markets.
Week 05 02•Febuary•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P7
