An agreed ceasefire in the Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta is in danger of being derailed by anger at the military over the death of an elderly local leader. The Niger Delta Avengers group, whose attacks on oil pipelines in the southern region crippled crude output earlier this year and pushed Africa’s biggest economy into recession, said in August it agreed … Read More
Global Oil Glut Set to Worsen as Nigeria, Libya Fields Restart
Amid the most enduring global oil glut in decades, two OPEC crude producers whose supplies have been crushed by domestic conflicts are preparing to add hundreds of thousands of barrels to world markets within weeks. Libya’s state oil company on Wednesday lifted curbs on crude sales from the ports of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina, potentially unlocking 300,000 bpd … Read More
Only Companies Interested in Electricity Will Get Coal Mining Licenses – FG
The Federal Government, yesterday, said that coal mining licences would be issued only to companies that are interested in generating electricity from coal. It also declared that it has not concessioned the Ajaokuta Steel Company, and that it is currently undertaking a technical audit of the facility to determine structures that are on site. Speaking at a forum in Abuja, … Read More
Bill for Oil & Gas Firms Raises Concerns
A proposed law to force indigenous and foreign oil companies to set aside a certain percentage of their training budgets to fund operations of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) is generating concerns among stakeholders in the industry. PTDF is the government agency dedicated to manpower development through research and training in relevant oil and gas fields. Its major source … Read More
Nigerdock Boss Seeks End To Monopoly In Oil & Gas Logistics
The Chairman of Nigerdock, Anwar Jarmakani, has called for the end of monopoly in the oil & gas logistics describing it as a threat to the sector. Jarmakani disclosed this when he hosted the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman who paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerdock Snake Island Free Zone in Lagos, recently. The … Read More
ExxonMobil Resumes Export, Three Months After Force Majeure.
Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a unit of ExxonMobil, will resume shipment of Qua Iboe crude, Nigeria’s largest grade of crude oil in October, three months after the company had declared force majeure on the exports of the grade. This is coming as oil prices slumped three per cent tuesday following another gloomy prediction by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on … Read More
Fracking Rumbles and Tectonic Ripples
Fracking or fracturing is the process of drilling and injecting fluid, usually water, sand and chemicals into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas trapped in it. The released natural gas is thereafter allowed to flow freely to the head of the well. Dillbytes, this week, takes a look as this … Read More
Why Refineries Are Not Attracting Investment’
A cap on the price of petroleum products is the major reason the downstream oil sector, especially domestic refining, has remained undeveloped, Head Energy Research, Eko Bank Limited, Dalapo Oni, has said. In an interview, he said once the government fully deregulates the sector, private refineries would sell at market-determined prices to make profit. According to him, refineries would continue … Read More
How to Ensure Petrol Price Stability
The recent call by former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) faulting the N145 petrol price cap has stirred a new wave of controversy among stakeholders and Nigerians in general. The NNPC GMDs forum, a body comprising former GMDs of NNPC and the incumbent NNPC GMD, Dr. Maikanti Baru, had last week, expressed reservation over the … Read More
Hike in PMS Price Is Inevitable, Says IPMAN
The speculation about possible increase in price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as petrol, may hold some substance as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, yesterday warned of threat to product availability in the country. This came as expert blamed marketers of insensitivity to price moderation when government placed a cap on petrol price in May. … Read More