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Nigeria in $4.5bn deal for 6 new refineries

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ABUJA – The Nigerian government has signed a memorandum of understanding with an American company to build six modular refineries with a combined capacity of 180,000 barrels a day.

Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Nigeria’s Trade and Investment Minister said the deal was in line with a U.S.-Nigerian joint venture comprising Vulcan Energy Corp. and Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve Limited.

Olusegun AgangaAn electronic message from the office of the Minister, disclosed that Venture group signed a $4.5 billion (N697.5billion ) deal to build the refineries in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC).

Two of the refineries are expected to be completed within a year.

“We are working in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC; we are working together as a team to ensure that in 12 months’ time, we witness the commissioning of the refineries,” Aganga said.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, plans to boost foreign investment in industries by making it easier to do business in the country. The government is focusing on changes that can improve the investment climate and on the overhaul of industries.

The continent’s most populous nation, with more than 160 million inhabitants, relies on foreign fuel supplies for 70 percent of its requirements because of inadequate refining capacity, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Petroleum minister, said in November. It exchanges 60,000 barrels a day of crude for products with Trafigura Beheer BV and a similar amount with Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage’s refinery in Ivory Coast, according to NNPC.

The refineries are to be located in areas where there are crude oil pipelines in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Each modular refinery, when completed, will refine up to 30, 000 barrels of crude oil per day and produce up to five million litres of petrol, diesel kerosene and LPFO.

Aganga, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while Jim Mansfield, vice-president/director, Vulcan Petroleum Resources Limited, and Edozie Njoku, chairman, Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve Limited, singed of behalf of their companies respectively.

Also present during the signing of the MoU, was Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former Governor of Anambra state.

Speaking during signing ceremony, Aganga, said the event represented a major milestone and paradigm shift in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration plan towards Industrial Revolution, job creation, wealth generation.

“This is a historic moment and a big step for us as a country .Apart from power, one of the critical areas which President Goodluck Jonathan has made a priority is to have functional refineries. My understanding is that by the time the whole project is completed, the cost is estimated at about $4.5bn.

“This is the beginning of changing our old paradigm from exporting just raw materials and exporting jobs to the Western countries. This is something that we have done as a country for so long time. There is no nation that has moved from being a poor nation to a rich one by exporting raw materials without having a vibrant industrial base. That is what we have to change for us to be a rich nation, and that is what of National Industrial Revolution Plan is based on.”

Aganga said that the Ministry of Trade and Investment would work together with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to ensure the actualization of the projects.

He added, “The Nigerian Industrialization Revolution Plan is based on areas where we have comparative and competitive advantage as a country. The signing of the MOU is the beginning of the process. The Ministry of Trade and Investment has not done this alone. We are working in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC. We are working together as a team to ensure that in 12 months’ time, we witness the commissioning of the refineries.

“What we have done is to carry out due diligence on the prospective investors before we even start having discussions with them. We try to find out where they are coming from and their antecedents, whether they have done what they are planning in other parts of the world, and also if they have the money to invest.”

Also speaking during the event, Jim Mansfield of Vulcan Petroleum Resources Limited, said the investment was a testimony that “Nigeria is a good place to do business.”

“The funding for the project will be a non-Nigeria source and is from investors who firmly believe that Nigeria is a good place to do business. We also believe that Nigeria is open for business,” he said.

While Edozie Njoku of Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve Limited, , said that the company would work with its foreign technical partner and the regulatory authorities to ensure the successful completion of the project within the time frame.

“The six refineries will have a combined capacity to refine 180, 000 barrels of crude oil within the country and produce up to 30 million litres per day of refined products within 30 months. The entire modular refinery complex is built in the United States, including all piping and electrical and test operated to assure that each plant will achieve 100 per cent of its approximately five million litres per day production capacity.

“It will take approximately six months to construct each refinery in the USA, one month to test and dismantle the refinery for shipping; one month to commence shipment of the refinery complex to Nigeria; followed by four-five months to re-assemble the refinery in Nigeria and commence full production. The modular refinery is far easier to construct and maintain, and it can be constructed at any place and relocated to any site depending on the need.

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Oil

FG Introduces New Incentives To Revitalize Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Industry

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In a strategic move to revitalize Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the Federal Government has unveiled two key fiscal incentives aimed at attracting investment and enhancing energy security.

The announcement was made by Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy on Wednesday.

The first initiative, the Value Added Tax (VAT) Modification Order 2024, introduces critical exemptions for essential energy products and infrastructure, including Diesel, Feed Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Electric Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, and Clean Cooking Equipment.

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These exemptions are designed to reduce living costs for Nigerians, promote energy security, and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy alternatives.

The second initiative, the Notice of Tax Incentives for Deep Offshore Oil & Gas Production, offers new tax relief options for deep offshore exploration projects.

This measure aims to position Nigeria’s deep offshore basin as a premier destination for international oil and gas investments, boosting the country’s appeal to foreign investors.

These reforms are part of a broader set of policy initiatives, known as Policy Directives 40-42, endorsed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The directives reflect the administration’s commitment to fostering sustainable development in the energy sector and enhancing Nigeria’s competitive edge in the global oil and gas market.

 

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Tinubu set to approve ExxonMobil-Seplat oil deal, expands CNG bus initiative

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By Yemie Adeoye

NIGERIA’s President Bola Tinubu has announced that the protracted ExxonMobil-Seplat upstream oil divestment will be formally approved by the Minister of petroleum within a matter of days, just as he announced his government’s intention to expand the Compress natural Gas, CNG buses initiative.

The President who stated this during his Independence day nationwide broadcast stated that the move is in line with his administration’s commitment to free enterprise, free entry and free exit in investments which is the hallmark of his administration investment policy.

“Fellow compatriots, our administration is committed to free enterprise, free entry, and free exit in investments while maintaining the sanctity and efficacy of our regulatory processes. This principle guides the divestment transactions in our upstream petroleum sector, where we are committed to changing the fortune positively. As such, the ExxonMobil Seplat divestment will receive ministerial approval in a matter of days, having been concluded by the regulator, NUPRC, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. This was done in the same manner as other qualified divestments approved in the sector.”

The President also seized the opportunity to plead with Nigerians to be patient with his administration’s reform policies. “As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel”.

“Our energy transition programme is on course. We are expanding the adoption of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas for mass transit with private sector players. The Federal Government is ready to assist the thirty-six States and FCT in acquiring CNG buses for cheaper public transportation.

Fellow Nigerians, while we are working to stabilise the economy and secure the country, we also seek to foster national unity and build social harmony and cohesion. Our economy can only thrive when there is peace”. he enthused.

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ExxonMobil To Invest $10bn In Nigeria’s Deep-Water Oil Operations

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As part of the administration’s push to improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed support for ExxonMobil’s plan to invest $10 billion in the country’s deep-water oil sector.

Speaking on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, during a meeting with ExxonMobil executives at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Shettima called the investment “a clear testament to the administration’s economic reforms and investor-friendly policies.”

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This announcement follows news that international maritime company DP World intends to develop a multibillion-dollar port project in Nigeria.

Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, shared the development in a statement on Wednesday. He quoted Shettima as saying: “ExxonMobil’s potential investment aligns with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for a more investment-friendly Nigeria.

We are committed to fostering an environment that supports such transformative projects.”Shettima also discussed the administration’s broader efforts to improve the ease of doing business, highlighting the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which aims to simplify bureaucratic processes, enhance transparency, and offer fiscal incentives to attract global investors.

“Our administration has taken bold steps to unify the exchange rate, remove fuel subsidies, and implement tax reforms. These measures, though challenging in the short term, are intended to create a stable and predictable business environment in the long term,” he added.

On the oil and gas sector, Shettima mentioned that the government is revising the fiscal framework for deep-water operations to attract investment while ensuring fair returns for the Nigerian people.

 

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