The Nation Newspaper

Category: Energy

  • More modular refineries coming soon, says FG

    The Federal Government says it expects more modular refinery operators who obtained licence to begin operations soon.

    Mr Ahmad Shakur, Acting Director in the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), made this known while inspecting a modular refinery – the Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR) – facilities on Friday in Ahoada, Rivers.

    Shakur said the Federal Government was passionate about the success of modular refineries in the nation’s oil and gas industry.

    “To this end, we are expecting more modular refineries to take off soon.

    “Many of them had been given licence to operate, and so with what is happening in NDPR it will put pressure on those given license to begin operation,” he said.

    Shakur disclosed that NDPR was the first marginal operator, first to acquire licence for modular refinery and the first to commence production.

    “The refinery started production with 1,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and it is currently producing 6,000 bpd.

    “NDPR intends to move production further to 11,000 bpd which will add a lot of value and backward integration in the oil and gas industry.

    READ ALSO: Reps will work towards reviving Nigeria’s seaports, refineries—Egbona

    “We intend to make the firm a reference point for other marginal operators to follow,” he said.

    The director said in spite of the recent protest by some community members demanding participation in the refinery, NDPR had so far maintained good relationship with its host community.

    Addressing staff at the DPR office in Port Harcourt, Shakur said the department had recently improved surveillance to curb illicit activities by some petroleum marketers.

    “We intend to keep the tempo going all through the year until we reduce the unwholesome practice to the barest minimum.

    “I can assure that those who commit acts of infractions against the extant rule in the petroleum industry will be brought to book,” he said.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the department had in the last few months sealed off over 33 filling stations in Port Harcourt caught under-dispensing, over-dispensing and operating without valid licence, among other crimes.

    (NAN)

  • Seplat eyes completion of 160,000 bopd Amukpe-Escravos pipeline

    Seplat Petroleum Development Company Limited is hopeful of bringing on stream its Amukpe-to-Escravos pipeline before the end of this year.

    The company said the 160,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) pipeline is at the commissioning phase, with hydro testing which began  early July. Completion and export of oil to the permitted capacity of 40,000 bopd is expected in the fourth quarter (Q4) of the year, it added.

    According to a document made available to The Nation, the company’s policy of creating multiple export routes for its assets has resulted in it actively pursuing alternative crude oil evacuation options for production at oil mining leases (OMLs) 4, 38 and 41 and potential strategies to further grow and diversify production to reduce any over-reliance on one particular third party operated export system.

    To add to the Trans Forcados Pipeline system and the backup export via the Warri refinery, the Amukpe to Escravos 160,000 bopd capacity pipeline is set to provide a third export option for liquids production at OMLs 4, 38 and 41. The pipeline owners, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Pan Ocean Corporation Limited (Pan Ocean) and the pipeline contractor FENOG are responsible for completion of the pipeline, which has seen delays to date.

    The completion of the project is in sight. The hydro testing of the 20 inch pipeline, which involves pigging to remove any debris which has accumulated in the construction, followed by flowing water under pressure from the injection point at Amukpe to the Escravos terminal began  in early July, and the current flow rates have confirmed the integrity of the pipeline.

    Final works within the Escravos terminal are underway, which includes the tie-in of the LACT measurement unit into the Chevron control system and with commissioning expected to be completed during the third quarter (Q3) of this year with export of oil to the permitted capacity of 40,000 bopd in Q4 of 2019, the company said.

    According to the management, it is Seplat’s ultimate intention to utilise all three independent export options to ensure there is adequate redundancy in evacuation routes, reducing downtime which has adversely affected the business over a number of years, significantly de-risking the distribution of production to market.

    Also, the management noted that in first half of this year (H1 2019, Seplat lifted and monetised an equivalent of 266,000 barrels of oil from OML 55, which resulted in a receipt of $17million. As a result of this, the carrying value of the investment in the balance sheet was consequently reduced to $150million.

    “Alongside its oil business, the company has also prioritised the commercialisation and development of the substantial gas reserves and resources identified at its blocks and is today a leading supplier of processed natural gas to the domestic market in Nigeria.

    “With overall operated gas processing capacity standing at 525 million standard cubic feet per day  (MMscfd), the company is actively engaged with counterparties to increase contracted gas sales with the intention of taking gross production towards the 400 MMscfd level on a consistent basis. Of the 525 MMscfd total processing capacity, 465 MMscfd is located at Oben with the remaining 60 MMscfd located at Sapele. The 375 MMscfd expansion at Oben (Phases I and II) was completed by Seplat as a 100 per cent investment project. The gas processing capacity expansion is also designed to allow the company to accept third party gas and receive a processing tariff,” the management added.

    On its balance sheet and cash flow generation, the company said that cash at bank as at 30 June 2019 was $433 million; gross debt $350 million and net cash $83 million with $225 million un-drawn headroom on the four-year revolving credit facility.

    Net cash flow from operations in H1 2019 stood at US$255 million as against capital expenditure (capex) of US$28 million while full year 2019 capex guidance was revised downwards to US$150 million.

  • Enyo enlightens customers, offers free car servicing, diagnostics

    Fuel marketing company Enyo Retail and Supply has organised a two-day customer enlightenment programme which offered customers free car diagnostics and services.

    The event, tagged “Vehicon & Grills”, apart from providing customers with free car diagnostics and services, was part of the company’s efforts at promoting car-consciousness and customer satisfaction.

    The event, which took place at the Enyo Olowo Eko Station, saw to the servicing of over a hundred vehicles and premium car checks was held in conjunction with Castrol lubricant- the second largest premium lubricant in the world.

    The company provided customers with safety car care classes, taught customers how to change their tyres, check their wipers and engine oil levels as well as signs of bad brakes. The Castrol team was also on ground to educate customers on which Castrol lubricant that best suits their car and other appliances.

    Enyo mechanics & technicians training academy, MECHTECH, recently graduated its second batch of auto mechanics skilled with the technical know-how to diagnose and repair high end vehicles. These auto mechanics that have graduated are now experts and they were present at the event and carried out all the free car servicing and diagnostics.

    Speaking on the initiative, Sales and Marketing Lead, Enyo Retail and Supply, Olabanjo Alimi, said the event was not just to create awareness about Vehicon and Castrol Lubricant, but more importantly to promote car safety and prevent unforeseen car breakdown on the road.

    “We organised this free car diagnostics for customers to prevent possible fault with their vehicle, get professional insights on the right auto-services and products best for their cars and interact on a personal basis with our team of professionals. We want to show our customers that beyond sales, we care about the quality condition of their cars as well as their safety, especially this season,  because we understand this weather is a cause of concern when it comes to road accidents”, Olabanjo said.

    One of the beneficiaries of the event, Ganiu Olalekan, who had his car diagnosed said: “I applaud Enyo for saving me the expensive cost of diagnosing my vehicle. Besides saving me a huge sum of money at the mechanic, I have learnt about the various types of lubricants and the importance of frequent car checks. This initiative has helped provide me with the ability to detect and prevent faults in my car with the right measure.

    “It was also impactful learning about the different Castrol lubricants and the most suitable for my car. Following the oil change using Castrol lubricant, my car engine has greatly improved. Henceforth, I will ensure that my mechanic uses Castrol Lubricant for my engine,” Olalekan added.

    Enyo Retail and Supply continues to advocate for innovation in the downstream oil industry whilst exploring initiatives that will contribute to the economic growth by providing quality products and services, Olabanjo said.

  • LPG off-takers decry supply marginalisation by NLNG

    Some off-takers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have accused the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) of marginalisation in the distribution of the product in Lagos.

    The off-takers said the NLNG, which is the sole local supplier of LPG, also called cooking gas,    deliberately restricted supply of the product to an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC). The off-takers said the NLNG supplied LPG only to PPMC jetty in Lagos, including NIPCO in the last two years.

    They said NIPCO received bulk of the supply, which is an average of 8,000metric tonnes per delivery by the NLNG while other terminals such as NAVGAS was were denied supply.

    The off-takers stated that NAVGAS, the operator of the terminal from which they get supply, had requested for supply on several occasions but got no explanation from NLNG why its terminal could not get supply.

    They said LPG marketers that depend on the terminal for supplies are gradually closing shops as they couldn’t import, adding that NAVGAS terminal has only received product thrice this year while PPMC/NIPCO terminal had received over 12 deliveries.

    The off-takers said: “Traditional system of delivery in the past by NLNG was to the two jetties – NAVGAS and PPMC. Other terminals in the country are unable to receive from NLNG due to low draft which cannot take NLNG’s vessel (Navigator Capricorn) if fully laden.

    “All terminals including NAVGAS and PPMC/NIPCO import to augment domestic supply in the event NLNG vessel is busy delivering to other terminals based on the initial understanding had with the NLNG. However, owing to the assurance given by the Nigeria LNG to increase the quantity LPG which will be more than enough to meet domestic consumption, the importation option was jettisoned and now the NLNG has sidelined NAVGAS.

    “We have also tried to through other off-takers receive product via NAVGAS facility but still no reason was given for not delivering to the terminal.”

    The off-takers noted that NLNG has abandoned the original delivery schedule for the two jetties – NAVGAS and PPMC/NIPCO, adding the delivery chart has become so disproportionate since the start of the current contract year, which is expected to end in September.

    The off-takers said NIPCO had received a relatively favourable delivery compared to other terminals, noting that NIPCO has 9,800mt capacity while NAVGAS and PPMC’s capacities are 11,000mt and 4,000mt respectively.

    NLNG’s performance could be increased significantly in spite of the reasons for not delivering regularly to NAVGAS terminal and with 51 per cent utilisation only.

    Nigeria LNG, however, denied the accusation. When contacted, Head, Media Relations of Nigeria LNG Limited, Mrs. Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, said the company has been supporting the domestic LPG market since 2007. She said from the beginning, Nigeria LNG’s involvement in the LPG market had promoted  competition in the domestic LPG market while encouraging all terminals to provide third party access (TPA) to all credible buyers.

    She noted that the principle has guided NLNG’s engagement with terminal owners and buyers. “Today, the significant majority of NLNG off-takers take their volumes through the PPMC jetties, which have provided TPA to all interested buyers and are preferred because they are cheaper.

    “NLNG, as a reasonable and prudent operator, honours all its contracts and does not discriminate against any buyer. All Annual Contract Quantity (ACQ) commitments have been met for all buyers without exceptions.

    “No buyer has been denied volumes that were committed to them during the contract year. Algasco for instance has taken 23,643.39mt out of its ACQ of 26,000MT for this contract year. This is 90 per cent of its volumes with more than two months to the end of the contract year,” she said.

    Palmer-Ikuku noted that NLNG will continue to work with the government, buyers and other industry players to ensure a level play field for all buyers, adding that NLNG will continue to help in boosting the growth recorded in the oil and gas sector of the economy.

  • Zola, OVH partner to deepen renewable energy usage

    Zola Electric, solar energy solutions provider, has entered into partnership with OVH Energy, licencee of the leading indigenous oil and gas downstream company – Oando retail brand in Nigeria – as part of its efforts to provide more Nigerians with access to clean 24 hours power.

    Zola Chief Executive Officer, Bill Lenihan, at a meeting between the parties in Lagos, to seal the partnership, stated that the collaboration was consistent with Zola’s plan to make access to renewable energy products easier across the country.

    Lenihan said the partnership offers Zola Electric access to OVH Energy’s over 385 filling stations across Nigeria, a strong platform to reach millions of homes and businesses with its advanced solar power solutions. This is in line with its mission to deliver clean 24 hours power, anywhere, he added.

    “Beyond making the lives of Nigerians easier and more comfortable through better access to our efficient solar energy solutions, this partnership means Zola would also be driving more economic growth as we improve business productivity across the country,” Lenihan said.

    The Managing Director, Zola Electric Nigeria, Abdallah Khamis, explained that Zola remains committed to meeting the energy needs of consumers regardless of their economic status. “It is a great delight to be a part of this partnership which we believe is bound to reinforce our commitment to address the energy needs confronting Nigerians. We believe this collaboration is a clear demonstration of our strong resolve to meeting the energy needs of Nigerians,” he said.

    The Chief Executive Officer, OVH Energy, Huub Stokman, said the partnership is a huge step toward the expansion of its non-fuel revenue base, expanding its product offering beyond fuel, lubricant and gas related products and services to now include renewable energy solutions by Zola.

    “We believe this collaboration has a huge potential of promoting and growing our business. Beyond this, we are confident that this partnership would help push the innovative solar solutions of Zola to meet the energy needs of Nigerians,” he added.

    Stokman commended Zola Electric for offering itself as a solution provider in tackling the challenge associated with access to clean, reliable energy.

  • Solar power beneficiaries in Ondo to pay N500 monthly

    Beneficiaries of the stand-alone solar power in Upare and Igbobini communities in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State are to pay N200 to N500 monthly billing per household.

    The decision was reached at stakeholders’ meetings held in each of the communities with officials of the Office of Public Utilities (OPU) and the power service provider, RR Reynolds.

    Acting Secretary of OPU Mrs Abike Bayo-Ilawole told reporters after the meetings that it was agreed that, starting from August, each beneficiary household would pay between N200 and N500 per month, depending on the capacity of the installation in the home. She said the communities had been using the solar power free of charge, for months as a palliative measure from the state government.

    Bayo-Ilawole recalled that for years, the communities did not get power supply from the national grid before the solar power intervention.

    She disclosed that a five-man Cluster Off-take Unit (COU) committee was constituted in both communities to liaise with the residents over complaints on installations and payment of bills.

    The acting Secretary added that they would meet with the service provider to fix all technical problems complained of by the users.

    Meanwhile, some of the beneficiaries of the solar power at Ebute Upare have complained that rodents have eaten up some cables, preventing them from getting light.

    A handful of them also narrated how the power got exhausted, particularly when it rained for longer period of the day.

    The traditional ruler of Ebute Upare, Oba Segun Akinyomi, who was represented by High Chief Ikuejamoye John, appreciated the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu for the power intervention in his community.

    Oba Akinyomi, who confirmed that the community had not enjoyed electricity supply for years, urged Reynolds to improve on the solar facilities for all residenst to assess.

    Speaking in the same vein, Oba Oyedele Raphael, the Olu of Igbobini, alleged that the electricity distribution company covering their area had demanded over N200 million from the community and others to reconnect them to national grid.

    Oba Oyedele said he had to shut down his frozen water business when there was no electricity supply to run it.

    He explained that a lot of business ventures had to close down in the communities because it was not viable to run them on power generating sets.

    The monarch praised the state governor for the palliative measures which he said had prevented them from living in darkness.

    He appealed to the service provider to upgrade the capacity of the standalone solar power to allow the people use different electrical appliances for both business and social activities.

    Oba Oyedele, who said that about 10 per cent of the 1550 houses in the community were beneficiaries the solar power, called for supply of more installations.

    He assured that the communities would ensure that the facilities were protected from vandals.

  • Stakeholders praise Chevron, Agbami on fight against TB

    Stakeholders in the health sector have commended the efforts of Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited (a Chevron Company) and its parties in the Agbami field – Famfa Oil Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Equinor, and Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited, in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in the country.

    The stakeholders made the commendation at the National Tuberculosis Conference that held at Abuja. The theme of the conference, organised by Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, was “Building Stronger Partnerships to End TB in Nigeria.”

    In his presentation on the “Role of the Private Sector in Health Systems Improvement: Agbami Parties Experience on TB”, Medical Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Dr. Paul Areyenka, who represented the Agbami parties stated that in its over 50 years of operations in Nigeria, Chevron and the parties have been supporting the government in strengthening health systems targeting the triad of HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB).

    He noted that the Agbami parties have deployed a social health investment programme targeting TB disease, which covers building of infrastructures such as chest clinics, conducting awareness and advocacy campaigns and assisting in protecting TB health care workers in order to contribute towards the National Tuberculosis programme goals.

    “Through the construction and equipping of 28 Chest Clinics across the country, we have contributed to strengthening health systems and supporting the treatment and care of tuberculosis patients in Nigeria. The chest clinics were built in close collaboration with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP) of the Ministry of Health, in existing  government hospitals and handed over to the States in which they are located for management, and the facilities are fully-equipped with standard X- Ray machines, male and female wards, treatment rooms, laboratories and Gene Xpert Machines,” he stated.

    He noted that since 2008, the Agbami parties have spent a total sum of N2.7billion about $16.6million to build and equip the chest clinics which have been donated to government hospitals across the country, adding that between 2015 and 2017, over 48,000 presumptive TB cases have been registered in these facilities, with over 11,000 cases detected. “The chest clinics have contributed to about 3% of the national presumptive TB cases registered and three per cent to the National aggregate of TB cases, while the awareness campaigns have reached over 100,000 community folks and tested over 8000 presumptive cases with about 2000 cases detected,” he said.

    A critical element in the Nigerian national response strategy on TB, he said, is finding missing TB cases. He said the Agbami parties in close collaboration with the NTLCP and specialized Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) have conducted TB awareness and advocacy campaigns in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Oyo, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Lagos.

    Areyenka also mentioned that in recognition of the increased risk of TB infection faced by health care workers (HCWs), in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Agbami parties sponsored health worker training and the publication and distribution of the National Biosafety Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and the National Standard Operating Procedures for Tuberculosis Laboratory Diagnosis. He noted that the Agbami parties remain unwavering in their commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of people in their areas of operation, especially the most vulnerable groups.

  • FG unveils roadmap for resolving power sector challenges

    The Federal Government has unveiled a roadmap geared towards resolving existing challenges in the power sector and expanding capacity for future power needs in Nigeria.

    With the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) representing the interest of Nigeria and Siemens representing the interest of Germany in this initiative, the roadmap for Nigeria’s electrification tailored to the peculiar needs of Nigeria’s power sector has been developed with specific attention to priority projects in the power sector.

    Speaking at the signing of the implementation agreement with Siemens at State House, Abuja, the Director-General of BPE, Mr. Alex A. Okoh, disclosed that the Nigeria Electrification Roadmap is structured into three phases.

    The first phase will focus on implementing projects that would greatly improve power supply in Nigeria within a short period of time.

    The objectives are: to deliver an additional 2GW to the grid, to significantly reduce ATC&C losses, and to achieve improved grid stability and reliability.

    Read also: Reps probe power sector reform expenditure

    The following phase will target bringing the system’s operational capacity to about 11G, while the third phase will involve increasing the system’s capacity to 25GW within the medium to long term planning period, with appropriate upgrades and expansions in generation, transmission and distribution.

    Mr Okoh pointed out that to determine the measure of financial intervention and the mechanics for making funds available to implement the roadmap, the immediate step, post-signing this agreement is to commence detailed commercial negotiations with the distribution companies and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    The bureau’s Director-General expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his steadfast support and commitment to ensuring that efficient, stable, quality, reliable and affordable power is delivered to Nigerians.

    He also appreciated German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the support of the German Government with regard to the Nigeria Electrification Roadmap.

     

  • DPR to shut oil firms for failure to upload daily production figures

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has warned oil companies not to ignore its directive that their daily production data be uploaded to its platform – National Production Monitoring System (NPSM).

    DPR Acting Director Ahmad Shakur warned that failure to comply would attract sanctions.

    Shakur, who spoke at a sensitisation workshop organised by the DPR on NPSM for oil and gas operators’ compliance officers in Lagos, said although the government had spent a lot of resources to establish the platform, some operators were not complying with the directive.

    Represented by Assistant Director, Management Branch, Upstream at DPR,  Akpomudjere Okiemute, oil industry regulator chief said the purpose of the engagement was to ensure full compliance with production and export data upload into the official platform.

    He said the NPMS was established to ensure proper book-keeping and  address the controversy trailing the country’s actual oil production. There is  the belief that Nigeria doesn’t know the exact quantity of oil and gas it produces.

    The oil and gas industry regulator also warned that, henceforth, any company that not on the NPMS platform will not be allowed to operate. He added that compliance with the submission of the Maximum Efficient Rate (MER) test will be enforced as no operator is expected to produce from any well without conducting the test.  MER test is used to determine the optimal rate a given well can be explored and currently, there are about 2,616 wells producing in the country.

    The NPMS is a web-based oil and gas production accounting and monitoring platform, developed by the DPR to track oil production from the various oil terminals in the country and movement of oil export and import vessels. The essence of the NPMS is to ensure timely and accurate reporting of production figures and export data, improve consistency and quality of database and facilitate seamless transfers of oil and gas data to the National Data Repository (NDR), he added.

    He said such collective upload of production data to the platform would deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the operations and relevance of NPMS to the nation. According to him, oil and gas account for about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue. It is, therefore, essential that the government, through the DPR, has firm grip on production, transfer to terminal and exports.

    He said: “The NPMS is a web-based platform that provides rapid and efficient electronic data collection database and reporting system, which is envisaged to replace the paper-based reporting. The NPMS project implementation includes two pilot exercises where the DPR collected real-time data at source (one land-based terminal and one Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO).

    “The pilot established that independent real-time monitoring improved the quality of surveillance which enabled national rollout to all other terminals during the project implementation phase. The system was also proven to facilitate surveillance, production reporting and forecasting.”

    He said NPMS provides effective crude oil and gas production and export monitoring and gives potential investors high confidence and assurance to invest in the industry. It also makes the country gain from increased Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

    He said companies will also submit their daily and monthly report on production wells, well test report, lifting reports,  associated gas and non-gas associated production reports, terminal reports, among others.

    “We have observed over the years that some companies are yet to comply fully with the data submission via the NPMS portal in contravention of the provisions of Sections 43 and 52 of the Petroleum (Drilling and Production) regulations of 1969 as amended. The agency has set up a compliance team to drive monitor and ensure full compliance with data submission via the platform,” he said.

    He said NPMS’ key objectives are to provide an online platform to effectively monitor national crude oil to gas production and exports; and provide a system for acquisition of production data from oil and gas facilities in the country, to ensure timely and accurate reporting of production figures and export data. It also aims to improve the consistency and quality of its database; facilitate seamless transfers of oil and gas data to the NDR and monitor production and export activities.

    He highlighted some of the steps taken by the Department to ensure full compliance to NPMS data submission as setting up a compliance team with the task to drive, monitor and ensure full compliance with data submission via the platform. It also tied the NPMS data submission compliance to some of its regulatory processes such as the issuance of export permits, technical allowable and other statutory approvals and permits.

    DPR’s Manager, Production and Surveillance, Upstream, Victor Georgeson, explained that NPMS has taken effect and the meeting was to ensure that operators understood the importance of the portal to the government.

    “As a country producing oil and gas, we should be able to know at any given time how much oil and gas we have. How much of it we have and we have produced and how much is being exported. Over the years, we have been doing this manually and there are loopholes and you will agree with me that will not be effective, but the new DPR today is emphasising on effectiveness and accountability. We are also going digital and what you are seeing is like a kind of paradigm shift to serve this country very well”, he added.

    About 75 compliance officers of oil and gas companies were in attendance.

  • ‘Big data remains key enabler of exploring business insights’

    The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council has said big data remains a key enabler of exploring business insights and economics of services in the petroleum sector.

    The Chairman, SPE Nigeria Council, Mr Debo Fagbami, stated this while addressing reporters in Lagos preparatory to the Society’s 2019 edition of the Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE).

    According to Wikipaedia, Big data is a field that treats ways to analyse, systematically extract information from, or otherwise deal with data sets that are too large or complex to be dealt with by traditional data-processing application software.

    Fagbami said the oncoming conference seeks to explore available data to proactively address technical issues affecting the oil and gas sector. The theme of this year’s NAICE is “Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Mobile Technology: Changing the Future of Energy Industry.”

    The conference is scheduled to hold in Lagos from August 5 to 7.

    Fagbami explained that stakeholders would address issues bordering on digital transformation and emerging trends in artificial intelligence; intersection of information and energy technologies, with focus on empowering women for digital age.

    He said the conference will unveil solutions to recurring issues of oil pipeline vandalism and technical challenges in the oil exploration and production sector. According to him, leveraging insights from artificial intelligence, big data and mobile technology remains a key enabler of exploring business insights in oil and gas industry, noting that the forum would also focus on collecting and encouraging the dissemination of technical knowledge and technologies related to the oil and gas industry.