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Tag: Mr Ndu Ughamadu

  • France to invest over €1b in Nigeria oil industry

    France to invest over €1b in Nigeria oil industry

    The French Government has said that it has set aside about one billion euros to be invested in the Nigeria Oil and Gas industry, stating that Nigeria remains her first economic trading partner in Africa.

    France Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer, declared this when the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division (GPAD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, led a delegation to his office in Abuja.

    Mr. Gauer said that French Development Agency has put in place about one billion Euros to encourage French investors to invest in the Nigeria Oil and Gas sector, adding that the French government is also cooperating with the Federal Government in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency.

    The French Ambassador commended the Federal Government for stemming the Niger Delta insecurity situation noting that Total, a French multinational Oil and Gas Company, had significant investment equity in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) and Egina project.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu made this known in a statement Tuesday.

    He however, expressed concern that some other French companies were having challenges with the unclear Nigeria’s fiscal policies in the Oil and Gas sector revealing that some French investors were currently developing wind energy and solar energy in Katsina State.

    Earlier, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Mr. Ughamadu, said the Corporation under the current management led by the Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, was well positioned and open to investment opportunities from the French Government and investors.

    Mr. Ughamadu noted that with the significant scale down in pipeline vandalism and insecurity which has boosted oil production, global investors such as the French Government can now invest in renewable energy, gas and power infrastructural development, pipeline construction, storage facility and the direct sales and direct purchase of Nigeria crude oil grades.

    He said the NNPC as the state owned oil and gas Corporation had global operations and called for closer collaboration between the French Government and the Corporation especially in the area of consular services in order to enable NNPC top executives and staff meet their global engagements.

    The GGM thanked the Ambassador for the warm reception accorded the NNPC delegation and assured him that with the leadership of the new NNPC management, the Corporation was determined to develop a robust business atmosphere for investors.

     

     

  • Oil pipeline vandalism reduces by 12 per cent

    Oil pipeline vandalism reduces by 12 per cent

    The extensive engagement with oil and gas community stakeholders embarked upon by the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has continued to yield positive results with the attainment of 12.77 per cent reduction in downstream pipeline vandalism.
    According to the April 2017 NNPC Financial and Operations report released in Abuja on Monday, downstream pipeline sabotage decreased from 94 pipeline vandalized points in March, 2017 to 82 in April 2017, representing a 12.77% reduction relative to the previous month. 
    The Corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division,  Mr. Ndu Ughamadu that made this known in a statement yesterday said that the April 2017 numbers also indicate substantial progress compared to corresponding period of April 2016 which recorded 214 incidents. 
    In terms of products availability within the period, the Corporation maintained adequate stock of over 1.2 billion litres of petrol sufficient for more than 34 days forward consumption. 
    It was also recorded that during the period, the NNPC in an effort to reduce to the barest minimum the incidences of fire outbreak in the 21 depots across the country, received bids from no fewer than 37 companies to supply six triple agent firefighting trucks for the operation of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), one of the downstream subsidiaries of NNPC. 
    The report noted that NNPC has continued to import Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) to supplement local refining, while the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN continues to make available foreign exchange to marketers to import AGO and ATK. 
    The April 2017 report which is the 21st edition of the NNPC Financial and Operations report also noted that average national daily gas production stood at 242.32 Billion Cubic Feet, BCF or an average of 8,077.19 Million Standard Cubic feet per day, representing 6.79% increase relative to the previous month. 
    Comparatively, the daily average natural gas supply to gas power plants slightly decreased to 672mmscfd (or equivalent to power generation of 2,787 MW in April, 2017) relative to 689mmscfd recorded in last month. However, this supply is also 22.85% higher than the corresponding supply recorded in April 2016 of 547mmscfd, the report stated. 
  • NNPC raises gas power to 3,056MW

    NNPC raises gas power to 3,056MW

    Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that the daily average national gas supply to gas power plants increased to 689mmscfd or the equivalent to power generation of 3,056mw. 
    Its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu disclosed this in a statement.
    He said that the March 2017 edition of the monthly Financial and Operations Report of the Corporation, released yesterday in Abuja, said the average national daily gas production for the period stood at an impressive 226.918 billion cubic feet, bcf, which translates to over 7.319 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, mmscfd.
    The March 2017 figure is an improvement on the previous month’s record which stood at 582 mmscfd. The supply is also over 29 percent higher than the corresponding supply record for March 2016. 
    However, pipeline sabotage in the country increased from 49 downstream pipelines vandalised points in February 2017 to 94 in March 2017. This represents over 91 percent increase relative to the previous months despite Federal Government’s and the NNPC’s continuous engagement with the stakeholders. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable improvement compared to corresponding period of March 2016 which posted 259 cases. 
    Also, in the downstream sector, NNPC has in stock, a robust inland supply of over 1.2billion litres of petrol sufficient for more than 34 days forward consumption. On Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, and Aviation Turbine Kerosene, ATK, NNPC continued to import to supplement AGO local refining and the Central Bank has released foreign exchange to marketers to import AGO and ATK. 
    The report notes that the inaugurated 497.2 km System 2B petroleum pipeline network which was achieved within the period under review has helped the NNPC to sustain the gale of uninterrupted supply and distribution of products throughout the country. 
    Only recently the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, noted that the Corporation’s re-commissioned Mosimi and Kano depots had impacted positively on highways across the Country. 
    Dr. Baru had stated that the two depots had relieved the impacts of long haulage of petroleum products on the roads, saving the nation of serious environmental consequences of bridging to motorists, settlements along highways and the general ecosystem in the country. 
    The March 2017 NNPC monthly Financial and Operations Report is the 20th edition
  • NNPC promises to support gas flare out law

    NNPC promises to support gas flare out law

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it has put in place measures and facilities to curb gas flaring preparatory to the 2020 flare out deadline by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

    NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr. Yusuf Matashi, made this submission during a one-day public hearing on Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017, at the National Assembly in Abuja.

    It Group Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Commission, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

    According to the statement, Baru expressed NNPC’s strong support for the legislation to reduce gas flaring, adding that the Corporation considered the legislation from the financial benefits it promises to capture rather than seeing it from the point of view of penalty.

    “NNPC supports the legislative intervention to prohibit gas flaring in line with global best practices, considering its negative impacts on the environment and the communities where the gas is flared.

    PDC, the Exploration and Production arm of the Corporation, is going ahead to see that the monetization of flared gas is realised despite the challenges of the past,” Baru stated.

    He informed that NPDC was the highest gas supplier to Nigerian domestic market and was therefore committed to the reduction and elimination of gas flaring to generate more revenue for the country.

    Earlier, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who was represented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Nallah, while declaring open the public hearing said the issue of gas flaring was a national embarrassment adding that the 8th Senate was committed to enacting a legislation that would end gas flaring in the country.

    “Gas flaring is as old as crude oil exploration in the country. We are, therefore, committed to this legislation which seeks to put an end to gas flaring which has deprived the nation of huge revenue, impacted the lives of oil producing areas negatively and depleted the ozone layers,” Dr. Saraki averred.

    On his part, the Senate Committee Chairman on Gas, Senator Albert Bassey, stated that the Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017 served as a legislative panacea to end gas flaring in the country.

    He said the public hearing was to collate views of relevant stakeholders that would enrich the bill and find a lasting solution to the challenge of gas flaring in line with the Paris Agreement on a clean environment and World Bank 2030 flare out deadline.

  • Sanusi to Kano: safeguard pipelines

    Sanusi to Kano: safeguard pipelines

    The Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called on the people of Kano to individually assist in safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas facilities by watching out for pipeline vandals within their communities.
     
    Emir Sanusi made this call while receiving the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, at his Palace in Kano, on Tuesday.
     
    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, quoted the monarch as saying in Hausa that: “I want to call on all our district heads, community leaders and the entire people of Kano State to consider safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas pipelines as a personal responsibility in their respective communities.”
     
    The Emir, who stated that the Kano Emirate would set the machinery in motion to ensure that all community leaders watch out for pipeline vandals within their domain, also carpeted the economic saboteurs for their unwholesome activities.
     
    “Their actions have caused untold hardship on people’s lives and created a huge negative impact on the environment as well as the economic prosperity of our nation,” the Emir added.
     
    He particularly commended the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru for re-inaugurating the Kano Depot which had led to the restoration of loading operations in the state.
     
    He said as the Centre of Commerce, Kano would soon experience the positive impact of the resuscitation of the Kano depot. “It is my hope that this development will also solve the power issues of our industrial areas in Sharada, Bompai and Challawa,” he noted.
     
    The Emir also commended the GMD for bringing his personal attributes of honesty and integrity to bear on the operations of the Corporation.
     
    “As someone I have known over the years for honesty and integrity, it is no surprise that the Corporation is recording remarkable milestones under his leadership.
     
    “Whoever knows you and knows what should be done to revamp the NNPC will be happy with your appointment. We pray God to continue to guide you in the execution of this huge responsibility”, the Emir stated.
     
    Responding, the GMD said his team was in Kano to re-commission the Kano Depot which has been down since January 2014. 
     
    He also thanked the Emir for his efforts at galvanizing the Kano community to help towards safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas assets.
  • Nigeria refining capacity increases by 29 per cent

    Nigeria refining capacity increases by 29 per cent

    …NNPC cuts losses by 16.19 per cent

     

    The combined installed capacity utilization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna increased by about 29 percentage points in January 2017 compared with their performance in December 2016.

    In the latest of the Corporation’s Monthly Financial and Operations Report for January released in Abuja Monday, NNPC said the capacity utilization of the refineries rose to 36.73 per cent in January, 2017, as against 7.55 percent in the previous month of December, 2016.

    The report attributed the improvement to the implementation of the 12 Business Focus Areas (BUFAS) strategy introduced by the Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru.

    The corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu made this disclosure in a statement Monday.

    According to the report, the refineries benefitted from the introduction of a new Refineries Business Model under the 12 BUFAS strategy which has transformed them from “tolling plants to merchant plants” thereby placing them on the path of profitability.

    The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC ) and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) also posted surpluses of Five Billion, One Hundred and Fifteen Million Naira (N5,115,000,000) and Four Hundred and Four Hundred and Four Million Naira (N404,000,000) respectively.

    Under the new refinery model, each refinery purchases crude oil at export parity price, processes and sells the corresponding products on its own account.

    “This is different from the previous Tolling Plant model where the refinery does not take title to the crude, but rather charges a tolling/processing fee to the owner of the crude which was PPMC on behalf of the Corporation”, the report stated.

    Apart from PHRC and WRPC, five other subsidiaries of the Corporation also posted surpluses. These include the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the Nigerian Gas Pipelines and Transport Company (NGPTC), NNPC Retail, the National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO), and the Integrated Data Services Ltd (IDSL).

    According to the document which is the 18th in the series of Monthly Financial and Operations Reports since the NNPC began publishing its business transactions, the Corporation recorded a Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N2.75billion) reduction in its trading deficit in the period under review putting the total trading deficit atN14.26billion.

    “This represents about 16.19 per cent improvement compared toN17.01billion recorded in December, 2016, in spite of the Corporation’s challenging situations which limit its aspiration to profitability”, the report stated.

    It listed some of the factors that impeded the Corporation’s performance to include the production shutdown of the Trans Niger Pipeline and Nembe Creek Trunkline due to leakages; the shutdown of Agbami Terminal for a mini Turn-around-Maitenance; and the subsisting Force Majeure declared by SPDC as a result of the vandalized 48-inch Forcados export line after its restoration in October 17, 2016.

     

  • NNPC cautions Nigerians against adulterated petroleum products

    NNPC cautions Nigerians against adulterated petroleum products

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Thursday in Abuja advised the public to be wary of adulterated petroleum products.

    The NNPC gave the advice in a statement by Mr Ndu Ughamadu, its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division.

    According to Ughamadu, exercising caution by consumers could forestall explosion, knockdown of engines, equipment or any such other ugly incidents leading to death or injuries.

    “The call for caution becomes necessary following reports that products from vandalised pipelines, or adulterated products are being sold to unsuspecting members of the public.

    “This has led to untoward incidents involving consumers of petroleum products in parts of the country.

    “When in doubt of the quality of a purchase, consumers are advised to seek assistance from any offices of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, NNPC depots or offices nationwide.

    “Products from NNPC depots are subjected to strict quality control to ensure that they are fit for use,’’ he said.

    Ughamadu urged motorists and other consumers of petroleum products to desist from panic buying.

    “The NNPC has over 32-day sufficiency for petrol and adequate volumes of diesel and kerosene to meet their demand,’’ Ughamadu assured.

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), in Anambra, recently arrested seven suspects with three articulated vehicles, carrying 110,000 litres of suspected adulterated petroleum products.

    The suspects were arrested between December 15, 2016, and January. 21

  • NNPC resumes loading of petroleum products nationwide

    NNPC resumes loading of petroleum products nationwide

    Mr Ndu Ughamadu, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), says the corporation has resumed loading of petroleum products in all its depots nationwide.

    Ughamadu made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

    He said that the resumption of activities at the depots across the country followed the suspension of the strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers,(NUPENG).

    He further said that the current petroleum products, stocked for supply by the corporation, would be sufficient for over 37 days.

    According to him, with the resumption in production of diesel and kerosene by the nation’s three refineries, Nigerians can be assured that the current seamless flow of petroleum products will be sustained.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs further assured Nigerians that NNPC would sustain the prevailing harmonious relations with industrial unions.

    He, therefore, called on Nigerians not to engage in panic buying, promising that there was adequate supply of petroleum products nationwide.

    Ughamadu also called on members of the public and stakeholders to refrain from any act capable of impeding the supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country.