The African Energy Chamber will be launching its first Fellowship Program in 2020.
Applications are open throughout October 2019, for a one-year program that will start in January 2020.
In line with its growing international cooperation, the African Energy Chamber will be welcoming young professionals from across Africa, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East to join its office in Johannesburg for 12 months. The Fellows will be provided with an opportunity to apply analytical skills on concrete challenges and problems across the energy sector, and an opportunity to specialize in upstream oil & gas and local content development.
They will be working in collaboration with the Chamber’s dedicated oil and gas sector advisors and experts located around sub-Saharan Africa, and help deliver research and consulting projects that address on-the-ground challenges faced by Africa’s oil & gas sector.
“Our range of partners from across government agencies, national and international oil companies, Oil service companies, investment banks and institutional investors offer the perfect network and ecosystem for a young professional to develop herself or himself and grow as a leader,” declared NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber and CEO at the Centurion Law Group. “We are truly excited to get this fellowship program started and see it grow over the coming years. Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to training and nurturing the next generation of energy leaders by bringing on board any young people willing to grow and contribute to the development of Africa’s energy industry”
Selected fellows will be joining the African Energy Chamber for 12 to 16 months and join a team that provides comprehensive and thought-provoking research on the African oil & gas industry and energy sector at large, along with critical support to local content development programs across the continent. A large part of the roles will focus on sharing and presenting data and informed views to the Chamber’s partners and the industry, and developing the right capacity building programs to institutional and private parties across the continent.
The 2020 Fellowship Program will be focusing on the following key aspects of the value-chain: upstream oil & gas, midstream, downstream and local content. Interested applicants should send their resume at the soonest to [email protected] and highlight the contribution they wish to bring to the work of the African Energy Chamber.
About the African Energy Chamber:
The African Energy Chamber (https://EnergyChamber.org/) is the largest African energy industry association, gathering companies from across the oil & gas, power and mining value-chains.
The Chamber counts over 100 partners from the private, public and financial sectors. With a key mission to make energy work for Africans, the Chamber focuses its efforts on building domestic capacity and developing strong and capable local companies across Africa, and on facilitating regional and international investors’ entry within the continent’s fastest growing energy markets, including Senegal, Nigeria, Angola, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa and South Sudan notably.
Saudi Aramco has approached some of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds, including those of Abu Dhabi and Singapore, to participate in the domestic listing, as the Saudis still seek the coveted US$2-trillion valuation for their state oil giant, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting several sources.
Over the past month, Aramco has noticeably accelerated the timeline for the much-hyped listing expected to be the world’s largest initial public offering (IPO) ever.
The US$2-trillion valuation that the Saudis seek has been one of the sticking points—together with the international venue for the listing and concerns over transparency of Saudi reserves—in the IPO that has been delayed several times already.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is reportedly still holding fast to the notion that Saudi Aramco should be valued at US $2trillion, while analysts remain skeptical that the world’s largest oil company is truly worth that much.
The banks and advisors Aramco has appointed have held initial contacts with the sovereign wealth funds, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Singapore’s GIC, and Bahrain’s Mumtalaka, Reuters’ sources said on Thursday.
Amid reports that Saudi Arabia has moved to speed up the listing of Aramco and amid conflicting reports about the impact of the attacks on Saudi oil on what would be the world’s largest IPO ever, one of the latest reports coming out of the Kingdom said on Wednesday that Aramco is set to announce as soon as next month its intention to proceed with the initial public offering.
Aramco will officially announce its intention to sell shares on the stock market at some point around October 20, people familiar with the planning told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
The attacks on the Abqaiq facility and the Khurais oil field in Saudi Arabia on September 14 had investors anxious as the Kingdom had just accelerated plans to list Saudi Aramco.
The heightened security risks following the attacks and Aramco’s actual ability to restore production could undermine the valuation of the company at this time, analysts believe.
US oil and gas supermajor, ExxonMobil has signed an agreement with Vår Energi AS for the sale of its non-operated upstream assets in Norway for $4.5 billion as part of its previously announced plans to divest approximately $15 billion in non-strategic assets by 2021.
“Our objective is to have the strongest, most competitive Upstream portfolio in the industry,” Neil Chapman, senior vice president of ExxonMobil said.
“We’re achieving that by adding the best set of projects we’ve had in many years and divesting assets that have lower long-term strategic value. This sale is an important part of our divestment program, which is on track to meet our $15 billion target by 2021.”
The transaction includes ownership interests in more than 20 producing fields operated mostly by Equinor, including Grane, Snorre, Ormen Lange, Statfjord and Fram, with a combined production of approximately 150,000 boepd in 2019.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, subject to standard conditions precedent, including customary approvals from regulatory authorities. The majority of the ExxonMobil employees impacted by the sale will transfer to positions at Vår Energi.
In 2017 the company sold its ownership interests in the ExxonMobil-operated fields Balder, Jotun Ringhorne and Ringhorne East to Point Resources.
The ExxonMobil refinery in Slagen and network of approximately 250 independently owned Esso-branded retail sites are unaffected by the agreement.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) in the Republic of Ghana, Senyo Hosi has bemoaned the culture of lateness in the country.
He said the canker which has become an acceptable norm in our societal life has set the country in a fast retrogressive manner towards productivity.
Senyo Hosi indicated that time has a cascading effect on everyone, adding that one’s lateness affects another who depends on the other for services to be rendered.
According to him, time lost cannot be recovered and nations that invest efforts in time management are able to optimize productivity.
“Time is a depleting resource and for any economy to grow it must be effective at optimizing its resources, and time is one of it. So when you act untimely you are throwing away productivity. We must spend more time in optimizing our time in trying to be impactful in our communities,” he stated.
He said government must institute a mechanism to tackle people’s attitudes towards time and work.
Senyo Hosi urged heads of institutions to score public officers’ adherence to time in order to address the culture of lateness and improve services in our public institutions.
“The issue of punctuality is a cultural problem which denies this country the maximum productivity. This problem starts from the house, schools and workplaces,” he posited.
He further called on education authorities to introduce time management as a gradable subject in schools to instill a culture of discipline among the youth towards time.
“We don’t get nurtured with the right attitude to time. We must start scoring time in our universities. We should teach time and productivity in our tertiary institution. Every universities programme in Ghana should include a subject called Time and Productivity. The economic relationship should be well established and the attitude of students marked in class,” Senyo Hosi emphasized.
This, according to him, is a proactive step to inspire a great change in people’s attitude towards time, a call when heeded, will spur productivity and economic growth.
Senyo Hosi said this during a short ceremony to endorse the ongoing public education and awareness campaign on punctuality organized by Punctuality Ghana Foundation in Accra.
“This project is a fantastic and noble one which must be supported by all to increase punctuality,” he intimated.
The Chief Executive Officer of Food And Drugs Authority (FDA) Mrs Delese Mimi Darko, Swiss Ambassador H.E Philipo Stalker, South Korea Ambassador H.E Kim Sungsoo, Japanese Ambassador H.E Tsutumo Himeno, Netherlands Ambassador H.E Ron Srikker, CEO of Volta River Authority (VRA) Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, Senior Minister Hon. Yaw Osafo Maafo and others have all endorsed the Punctuality campaign.
The Project Coordinator of Punctuality Ghana Foundation, Naa Meryeh Quaynor-Mettle said the endorsement adds to the pool of ideas as to how to execute the campaign with focus on linking punctuality with productivity.
According to her, it is a major element much-needed in transforming Ghana towards economic prosperity.
She added that a new mindset of change makers are needed to chat the economic revolution as championed by the Foundation committed to the cause of Ghana’s economic transformation on punctuality and productivity.
Naa Meryeh Quaynor-Mettle stressed the need for Ghanaians to be disciples of punctuality and productivity, and champion this campaign at their various workplaces.
Source: cbodghana.com
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has processed 39 solar power projects that have capacity to generate up 1,151.87MW, as the country moves towards renewable energy to increase capacity.
The projects are expected to require an investment of over $2.3 billion.
In e-mail correspondence with local news The Herald, ZERA’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Eddington Mazambani, confirmed the approved solar projects, six of which are already operational.
The authority has so far received and processed a total of 39 solar energy projects, with six of them now functional, two [are] under construction and 31 [are] still to be developed,” Mazambani said.
Three of the projects are at concept or pre-feasibility stage, and have capacity to generate 111MW.
Twenty-two of the solar projects are at feasibility and technical studies’ level and have capacity to generate 885.1MW. While three projects, with capacity to generate 70MW, are at feasibility or proof of bankability stage.
An additional three projects are at funding stage and can generate up to 53.3MW when concluded. There are currently two projects at construction stage with capacity to feed 25MW into the national grid when completed.
The six operational solar projects are delivering 7.47MW into the grid.
Solar power projects to light up Zimbabwe
The interest in investing in solar projects in Zimbabwe comes at a time when rolling power cuts have become the order of the day due to obsolete equipment at thermal power plants and low water levels at the Kariba Dam.
Cabinet has since approved the implementation of a large-scale programme to promote the importation, local production of solar equipment and the use of solar power as an alternative energy source.
Therefore, special incentives through duty waivers on imported solar equipment are provided. While it shall be mandatory for all new construction projects to be solar-powered.
Companies already investing in the country
A number of companies such as Matshela Energy, Harava Solar, and Centragrid are working on solar projects to alleviate power shortages, which have impacted domestic and commercial power users.
Centragrid, which is based in Nyabira, about 40km from central Harare, has started feeding 2.5MW into the national grid, which can provide power to 1,200 households.
Harava Solar expects to commission its 20MW project in December this year.
Zimbabwe’s Energy and Power Development Minister Advocate Fortune Chasi has indicated that airports across the country will soon be powered by solar to reduce pressure on grid electricity.
Nigerian Navy have arrested seven suspected illegal dealers of Premuim Motor Spirit (PMS) and handed them over to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos command.
NSCDC Lagos command spokeswoman, Mrs. Kehinde Bada-Okoli, who disclosed this to newsmen, said the suspects are men.
Bada-Okoli, said some of the items recovered from the suspects includes 80 drums of 250 litres of PMS and 100 of 250 liter empty drums.
“Other items recovered included two 50 Horse Power (HP) outboard engines, one pumping machine and one 50 HP spare machine,” shipsandports.com.ng quoted her as saying.
She said the suspects would be handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation and prosecution.
The NSCDC spokesperson said that the corps would not rest on its oars in carrying out its mandate of protecting critical infrastructure as well as lives and property, towards ensuring a crime-free Lagos.
She enjoined the populace to avail the Corps and other security agencies with necessary intelligence information to rid the state of all forms of crimes,” she said.
UK oil and gas major, Tullow Oil PLC, is hoping to grow its assets base by the close of 2019.
This is because the company is earmarking $600 million for investment in high value assets in all its operational areas, energynewsafrica.com can report.
As at the end of June this year, Tullow Oil Plc had already spent $264 million on investment.
Out of the $600 million it is expecting to spend, $145 million is targeted at finding new oil.
The company is also anticipating a cash flow of about $400 million by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, Tullow has revised its production target in West Africa in 2019 to between 89-93,000 (bold)
The company’s board has also approved $33 million interim dividend in line with capital return policy.
These developments were contained in Tullow’s overview presentation for September 2019 posted on the company’s website.
The Director for Energy Services and Performance Monitoring at the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in the Republic of Ghana, Mr Oscar Amonoo-Neizer has been appointed as the acting Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission.
His appointment follows a terminal leave of Dr Alfred Ofosu Ahenkora who is due for retirement after heading the Commission for almost 15 years.
Dr Ahenkora is seen as one of the fine brains in Ghana’s energy sector after leading the Commission to formulate and develop several guidelines and regulations for the country’s energy sector.
Brief profile of Reverend Amonoo-Neizer
Reverend Oscar Amonoo-Neizer is an accomplished proactive engineer with significant experience in policy and energy management, electrical design, testing, analysis and project coordination.
He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Ghana Business School, a post-graduate certificate in Electrical Engineering from Fachoschule Aachen in Germany and a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ghana.
He has also undertaken professional courses including Utility Regulation and Strategy at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
He has played key roles in national assignments including the preparation of the draft Ghana Electricity Market Rules and the Power Sector Policy Review Document.
He also played a key role in the preparation, launching and implementation of the National Electricity Grid Code for Ghana.
Prior to his appointment as Director for Energy at PURC, Rev Amonoo-Neizer worked as the Head of Power Division and Chief, Office of Technical Regulations at the Energy Commission of Ghana from February 2010 to February 2013.
Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou has called for a “global response” to the problems of land degradation that threaten the arid Sahel belt.
Addressing a meeting of the Climate Commission for the Sahel Region at the United Nations, Mahamadou said the region’s 250 million people are struggling with drought, desertification and other impacts of climate change.
“The situation in the Sahel has global stakes, and it requires a global response,” he said in a statement copied to energynewsafrica.com.
Niger’s farmers lose 100,000 hectares of arable land every year, said Issoufou, as unpredictable rainfall, extreme temperatures and droughts are drying up watering holes that livestock herders relied upon.
“It’s always possible to reverse the trend and reverse those challenges, but that requires adaptive efforts that are sustainable and collective action with the help of our partners,” Issouffou he said.
The coast-to-coast Sahel belt stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, passing through Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, and other African countries.
At the meeting, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said that the Sahel’s population contributes very little to climate change and yet it “suffers the most” from rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall.
“Famers and breeders who used to live in harmony now fight against each other for lands that are more and more reduced and this is making an unstable situation even worse,” said Guterres.
“Fights between communities are getting worse and give way to a lot of death and the displacement of populations.”
In a written statement, the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina called the Sahel the “frontline of Africa’s battle against climate change.”
“In Africa, we have millions of farmers suffering from the devastating impact of drought in the Sahel. It is not just their livelihoods that are at stake, but their communities, but their ways of life,” Adesina said, calling for financial interventions to face up to this critical challenge of our time.”
“For too long, we have been short-changed by climate change. But, we can no longer be short-changed by climate finance,” Adesina said in his remarks.
This past decade, the Bank has supported more than $2 billion of investment in the region and has pledged $1.3 billion more towards the Sahel Commission’s investment plan, which will run between 2018 and 2030.
The Bank has also committed $20 million for the project preparation of the solar energy scheme Desert to Power, which will generate 10,000 MW of clean electricity for the region’s 250 million people.
The Bank is determined to turn the vast Sahel desert into the next renewable energy powerhouse.
The Bank’s vision of the Sahel is one of green growth and prosperity founded on clean, reliable and affordable energy systems that power households, industry, and commerce while securing resilience in the face of climate change.
Adesina praised the millions of young climate activists who protested from Australia to Iceland on Friday in a global climate strike to pressure world leaders to redouble their efforts on global warming.
“Their voices still echo and will continue to do so. Their generation bears the brunt of decades of neglect and inaction. And so it is only right that they should have a voice and a seat at the table of climate change,” Adesina
The President of African Development Bank, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina has hinted of plans to scrap coal power stations across the continent and switch to renewable energy.
Addressing a gathering of leaders and officials from almost 200 countries in New York at the UN Climate talks, Adesina outlined efforts to shutter coal-fired power plants and build the “largest solar zone in the world” in the arid Sahel belt.
“Coal is the past, and renewable energy is the future. For us at the African Development Bank, we’re getting out of coal,” Adesina told delegates to the Climate Action Summit in Manhattan this week.
The Bank’s $500 million green baseload scheme will be rolled out in 2020 and is set to yield $5 billion of investment that will help African countries transition from coal and fossil fuel to renewable energy, he said in a statement copied to energynewsafrica.com.
Adesina also talked about plans for $20 billion of investments in solar and clean energy that would provide the region’s 250 million people with 10,000 MW of electricity.
“There’s a reason God gave Africa sunlight,” he stated.
Presidents, princes and government ministers from around the world attended the UN’s climate summit, as they faced mounting pressure to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions and slow the global rise in temperatures.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also took a swipe at the “dying fossil fuel industry” and said it was still not too late to keep the global rise in temperatures below the benchmark figure of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“But it will require fundamental transformations in all aspects of society — how we grow food, use land, fuel our transport and power our economies,” Mr. Guterres intimated.
“We need to link climate change to a new model of development — fair globalisation — with less suffering, more justice, and harmony between people and the planet.”
The UN says mankind must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to about 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures to stave off the worst-case predictions of scientists.
The meeting was part of the run-up to the international climate talks in 2020, which is the next deadline for countries to make significant emissions reduction pledges under the 2015 global warming deal.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa is officially open for entries and boasts exciting changes. Participants can look forward to a new route and changes in format.
With a renewed title sponsor, the seventh Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC) will be held in September 2020, once again challenging top young engineers from across the world to drive their fuel-less, cutting-edge cars across 2,500km of South Africa’s public roads.
Element of surprise for participants
The SSC passes through the Northern Cape for the first time in eight years, and Bothaville, Kimberley, Bloemhof, Uitenhage, Kirkwood, Plettenberg Bay and Franschhoek have been added to the route for the first time.
Competitors in 2020 will have to think on their feet on ‘blind’ days, when information regarding the route is withheld until the night before, forcing teams to strategise on the go.
Experienced teams usually travel the route several times in advance to prepare for all challenges, but will now need to plan for the element of surprise. The loops en-route, which allow teams to rack up distance and get a lead on competitors, will also be much shorter in 2020.
Spectators will have better opportunities to see the carefully co-ordinated, Formula 1-style pit stops in action, and the less experienced teams will have more time to troubleshoot as they stop in with their support team more often.
Challenge sparks innovation in solar
Teams from across the globe develop pioneering technology for solar racing events. The Sasol Solar Challenge, held every second year since 2008, is a popular testing ground for the world’s leading teams to push new equipment to the limit.
Widely regarded as the most difficult of more than a dozen such events globally, the baking sun, violent storms, high winds, changing road surfaces and a record drop in altitude of nearly 2,000 miles along the South African route allow teams to gather invaluable data.
“The 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge is once again an opportunity for our team to test and understand new technology we’ve developed,” Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) team leader Johannes de Vries said.
The University’s car, Sun Chaser 3, topped the South African leader board with 2,397km in 2018. The team is one of the nine participants already signed up for the event. Sun Chaser 4, which will compete in 2020, is 25% more aerodynamic, and the team hopes to make it 20kg lighter too.
Seven South African teams have entered so far, including first-time participants the Mpumalanga SolaFlairs and the University of the Free State, and returning teams from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Central University of Technology in the Free State, North West University, TUT, and the University of Johannesburg. South Africa will also host newcomers Team Solaris from Turkey and the Alfaisal Boeing Solar Car Project team from Saudi Arabia. With registration only recently opening, more teams are expected within the coming months.
Commitment to STEM education
Sasol is the title sponsor for the fourth year running, demonstrating its commitment to furthering science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education and inspiring learners to pursue technical careers.
“We have seen this event grow from strength to strength over the last decade, and are proud to renew our sponsorship. The Sasol Solar Challenge brings maths and engineering to life in the eyes of the thousands of school children it reaches on its route, inspiring them in ways that textbooks simply can’t,” said Sasol’s Group brand marketing manager Nozipho Mbatha.
The event typically draws more than 20 partners and sponsors, and the 2020 event is proud to confirm support from Sun International, C-Track and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).
“We are looking forward to a bigger, better event in 2020 and encourage solar car teams, sponsors and partners from all parts of the country and world to get in touch with us,” said the event director, Robert Walker.
Dutch team took the cup in 2018
In 2018, the nine competing teams drove a collective 16,249km.
Dutch team and global leader Nuon Solar won the 2018 event by clocking 4,034km, followed closely by Japan’s Tokai University Solar Car team, with just 93km less distance covered.
Both teams compete with multi-million Rand vehicles through which they are driving research and development in engineering, renewable energy and aerodynamics globally.
MODEC Production Services Ghana JV. Ltd. (MPSG), an offshore oil and gas services provider in the West Africa nation, Ghana, has announced the successful completion of training for the first batch of Ghanaian welders in Brazil.
The first overseas training was facilitated by MPSG and its sister company in Brazil, MODEC Serviços de Petróleo do Brasil Ltd.
The first batch of five (5) participants who have completed 6-7 months of on-the-job training in Brazil were welcomed at a dinner reception on Friday September 20, hosted by Mr. Theophilus Ahwireng, Managing Director of MPSG, and attended by senior officials of the Petroleum Commission, Tullow Ghana Limited (TGL), MPSG board members among other dignitaries.
According to Myjoyonline.com, Managing Director of MODEC, Mr. Theophilus Ahwireng who welcomed the first batch of trainees commended them for their dedication to the training goals.
He commented that a number of the trainees had been requested (by the Brazil office) to return for a further extension of the programme. This he said was testament to the focus and hard work the trainees had put into their own development.
Director for Localisation at Petroleum Commission, Mr. Kwaku Boateng, who represented the Deputy CEO of Petroleum Commission at the event, extended compliments from the CEO, the Board and Management of the Petroleum Commission to MPSG and its stakeholders.
“You have by this training programme, demonstrated commitment to enhancing local content in Ghana. This is an excellent initiative which feeds into Government’s overarching agenda to develop the country’s human resource base for increased participation in the Oil and Gas industry”, Mr. Boateng commented.
He noted that more of such initiatives were encouraged in the industry to develop the competencies of Ghanaians and urged MPSG to do even to develop local talent.
Mr Theophilus Ahwireng, MD of MODEC
The MPSG-MdB Secondment Training programme was launched in January this year with the support of Tullow Ghana Limited (TGL) and the Petroleum Commission with the aim of developing the capabilities of bright local professionals with the right skillsets, through on-the-job training and best practice transfer at MODEC’s state of the art facilities in Brazil.
The first cohort of fifteen (15) participants were selected based on performance and across various onshore departments to participant in the 2019 training programme.
Addressing the trainees, Mr. Kweku Andoh Awotwi, Executive Vice President, Tullow Plc/Managing Director TGL, expressed the hope that the training in Brazil had instilled stronger capabilities and improved skill sets that would guarantee continuity and sustainability of MODEC’s activities in Ghana for many years to come.
He also noted that Tullow was pleased with the partnership it had nurtured with MODEC over the years which had been mutually beneficial, as both companies had drawn on the experience of each other while promoting the shared philosophy of developing local capacity of Ghanaian technical professionals and indigenous companies.
The first batch of trainees took turns to share their experiences with the guests at the dinner and thanked MPSG and its partners for the unique training opportunity.
The second batch of trainees are being processed to commence their overseas secondment training in October this year.
About MODEC Group
MODEC has been providing competitive floating solutions for the offshore oil and gas industry and is recognized as a leading specialist for floating production systems such as Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels and Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs).
MODEC has an excellent track record of EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) as well as charter and operations projects.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has called for the probe of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) over its alleged non-adherence to country’s local content law.
The decision was taken at the House plenary on Tuesday as a result of a motion sponsored by Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) on the ‘Need to investigate Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO’s) Non-Compliance with Nigeria Local Content Act.’The company is operating in Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency of Delta state.Presenting the motion, Ossai said the enactment of Nigeria’ Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010, popularly called the Local Content Act, was to provide a Legal Framework for increased Nigerians participation in all activities regarding exploration, exploitation, development, transportation and sale of crude oil and gas resources.He noted that the Act specified 70% use of indigenous labour, materials and resources in all oil and gas projects in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
According to shipsandports.com.ng, the lawmaker explained that Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) is an Indian company with businesses in six continents and several countries such as India, USA, China, Japan, Europe, Middle East and South East Asia.
He said the company ventured into Nigerian oil and gas market in 2005 and is presently producing crude oil in the Niger Delta.He however lamented that most of the human and material resources and services being utilised by the company in the Niger Delta region particularly in Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency are mostly Indians.
“Under the Local Content Act, it prescribed that the minimum Nigerian content requirement in any project, service or product specification to be executed in the Nigerian oil and gas industry shall be consistent with the level set-out in the Schedule to the Act.
“The neglect over the years by the Nigerian Content Monitoring Board that is saddled with responsibility to monitor, supervise and coordinate the Local Content Act, has grossly defeated the purpose of the prescribed minimum thresholds for Nigerian participation in the activities within the Nigerian oil and gas industry,” he added.
“Section 16 l(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 enjoins the Federal Government to “manage and operate major sectors of its economy,” thereby avoiding foreign domination of the economy”, he claimed.
The House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and Nigerian Content and Monitoring Development to investigate the level of utilization of the Local Community and the Nigerian human and material resources by the company.
The committee is expected to report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
Oil and gas operators with assets in Ireland have sought clarification following the government’s announcement it plans to end all future oil exploration in the country due to its incompatibility with a low-carbon future.
During the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday evening An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stated the Irish Government’s intention to phase out oil exploration licenses in the future.
Varadkar said that Ireland’s Independent Climate Change Advisory Council had recommended that exploration for oil should end as it is incompatible with a low-carbon future. The Council recommend that exploration for natural gas should continue for now as a transition fuel.
Following Varadkar’s statement at the summit, Europa Oil & Gas, Providence Resources, and Lansdowne Oil & Gas have issued statements saying they will seek clarification of the situation.
It is the understanding of these three companies that the phasing out of oil exploration only relates to future oil licenses and not future gas licenses. Furthermore, it is their understanding that all of the options, licenses and leases already in place will be allowed to progress for their full duration.
Europa Oil and Gas and Providence both said they would be seeking clarification of the situation through the offices of the Irish Offshore Operators’ Association (IOOA).
IOOA is the representative organization for the Irish offshore oil and gas industry. Its members are companies licensed by Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in Irish waters.
Responding to remarks by An Taoiseach, a spokesperson for the IOOA said in a statement on Monday: “IOOA look forward to seeing the full detail of the proposals to be outlined in the Taoiseach’s speech at the Climate Action Summit this evening. In particular we look forward to receiving the exact detail of the proposed implementation of today’s announcement regarding future exploration in Ireland.
“Our members remain committed to Ireland’s efforts to transition to renewable energy, however energy security for Ireland is an important part of that process and we will seek a meeting with Government in relation to the matter in the coming weeks,” offshoreenergytoday.com quoted the statement saying.
Europa has a large exploration position in Ireland, including its flagship Inishkea gas prospect which is located close to the Corrib gas field in the Slyne Basin.
Providence has interest in several licenses offshore Ireland, including the Barryroe oil accumulation. A survey over two locations on the Barryroe field was recently completed with two more locations on the cards once and if Providence’s partner APEC delivers on its promised loan.
Lansdowne has interest in the Helvick field, which is situated some 40km offshore Ireland in c. 80m (265ft) water depth. It also has an interest in the Providence-operated SEL1/11, which contains the Barryroe field.
