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Modular Refinery: FG lauds Waltersmith, NCDMB on completion of 5000 bpd…plans expansion to 50,000 bpd

The company growth plans part of which is to significantly expand the refinery’s production capacity to 50,000 barrels of crude oil per day. He said: “We have started with the first module which is 5000 barrels. The next module will be 25,000 barrels. Then the finale module will be 20,000.

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Precious ADELOLA

IBIGWE-THE Federal Government has applauded Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for their effective partnership that led to the record completion of the Waltersmith 5000 barrels per day modular refinery within two years.

The Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Chief Lai Mohammed conveyed the  commendation on Tuesday after touring the project located at Ibigwe, Ohaji/Egbema LGA, Imo State, in company with the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, the Minister of State for Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote.

The modular refinery was started in October 2018 and will commence operations on October 14, 2020, loading out 23 trucks of refined products per day, having concluded off-take arrangements with select firms.

The Minister stated that the completion of Waltersmith modular refinery and conceptualization of similar projects in Bayelsa were key achievements of President Muhammed Buhari’s administration, adding that modular refineries only became a reality under the present administration despite years of rhetoric by previous governments.

Mohammed described modular refineries as key to meeting the Federal Government’s agenda of increasing local refining capacity, enhancing value addition to the hydrocarbon resources and employment generation. He gave assurance that government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and relevant agencies will provide Waltersmith with all necessary support it needs to operate and grow sustainably.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB expressed pride that the Board moved quickly to invest 30 percent equity in the Waltersmith modular refinery project with the approval of its Board’s Governing Council. He hinted that the project had several benefits, including generation of direct, indirect, and induced employment opportunities for management staff, plant operators, technicians, drivers, cleaners, suppliers, security personnel and others.

He said that one of NCDMB’s mandates is to develop in-country capacities and capabilities to utilize and add value to the nation’s hydrocarbon resources, while its vision is to serve as a catalyst for the industrialization of the Nigerian oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors.

 According to him, “this vision contributes to the realization of our 70 percent Nigerian Content target in the oil and gas sector by 2027. Our partnership with Waltersmith and other similar investments are some of the levers we are using to deliver the target growth rate.”

Wabote canvassed that at least 10 percent of Nigeria’s oil production should be refined through the modular refineries. He noted that an average of ten direct jobs were created for every 1,000 barrels/day capacity of modular refinery, hence over 2,500 direct jobs and over 25,000 indirect jobs can be created if 10 percent of Nigeria’s production is refined using modular refineries.

In his welcome remarks, the Chairman of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, Mr. Abdulrasaq Isah indicated that the company decided to embark on the modular project as a strategy to address incessant pipeline vandalism and theft of its crude oil products. The project will also ensure import substitution, energy security for the nation, lower of the company’s operating cost and create lots of jobs, he revealed.

He outlined the company growth plans, “part of which is to significantly expand the refinery’s production capacity to 50,000 barrels of crude oil per day. He said: “We have started with the first module which is 5000 barrels. The next module will be 25,000 barrels. Then the finale module will be 20,000.

“At that point we will be loading 120 trucks every day at peak production, comprising different products-diesel, kerosene, PMS, HFO and Jet Fuel.”

He confirmed that load out of products will commence on October 14, starting with diesel, to be followed closely with the commencement of phase two of the project.

Isah also endorsed Federal Government’s deregulation of the downstream subsector, remarking that “the removal of subsidy has created a market for what we are doing. It also facilitates our ability to raise financing for the next module we will be doing.”

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DPRP Aims for 2.5% of Globally Traded Crude

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At full capacity the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP) would be utilising up to 2.5 percent of globally traded crude oil.

President and Chief Executive Officer, DPRP, Aliko Dangote, revealed this while receiving the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, who led a high-level delegation from the Federal Ministry of Industry on a tour of the 700,000 barrels-per-day industrial complex.

Reflecting on the refinery project, Dangote described it as the biggest business risk of his life, recalling how many financiers doubted the project would ever be completed.

Despite challenges ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and foreign exchange volatility to scepticism from lenders, he said the successful delivery of the refinery demonstrates the capacity of Nigerian entrepreneurs to execute projects of global significance.

“What we have achieved here has never been done before on this scale. Once one person succeeds, many others will be encouraged to follow,” he said.

ALSO READ: Chevron Takes Oil, Gas Supply Chain School to UNILAG

Dangote disclosed that the refinery, at full capacity, will account for the equivalent of about 10 per cent of the United States’ refining capacity and consume approximately 2.5 per cent of globally traded crude oil.

He urged the Federal Government to place industrialisation at the centre of its economic strategy, insisting that no nation has attained prosperity without a strong manufacturing base.

“There is no way to create jobs and prosperity without industrialisation,” Dangote said.

“The greatest attraction for foreign investors is the success of domestic investors.

When local investors thrive, they send a powerful signal that the environment is conducive to investment.”

The industrialist revealed that Dangote Industries recently raised an unsecured and unrated bond at rates below Nigeria’s sovereign benchmark, demonstrating growing investor confidence in credible Nigerian private-sector institutions.

According to him, the successful fundraising underscores the ability of Nigerian companies to mobilise long-term capital when supported by stable and predictable government policies.

Dangote also emphasised that policy consistency remains the most important factor in attracting investment, stressing that frequent policy reversals undermine investor confidence more than the absence of incentives.

“If Nigeria is to achieve sustainable growth and become a trillion-dollar economy, industrialisation must be the foundation. Indigenous investors remain the strongest catalysts for that transformation,” Dangote stated.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the refinery as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1tn economy, pledging deeper collaboration with the private sector to accelerate industrialisation, job creation and economic transformation.

According to the minister, the integrated industrial complex is one of the most significant investments in Africa and a model for the type of industrial development required to drive Nigeria’s economic growth aspirations.

“You cannot be Minister in charge of Industry and not visit the Dangote Refinery,” Enoh stated. “This facility matters because of what it represents for Nigerian industry, for our people and for the realisation of President Bola Tinubu’s vision of a one trillion-dollar economy.”

He added, “The more a country adds value to its products, the more respect it earns globally. The Dangote Refinery stands today as one of the strongest demonstrations of that principle.”

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Chevron Takes Oil, Gas Supply Chain School to UNILAG

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World Environment Day 2022: Chevron Commits to a sustainable Future

Efforts to afford postgraduate students of the University of Lagos Business School pragmatic exposure to oil and gas industry operations in supply chain management geared up with Chevron Nigeria Limited stepping in.

A company statement has it that the students, drawn from the institution’s Urban Logistics and Transport Management programme, participated in a field engagement with Chevron’s Supply Chain Management team.

It afforded them practical insights into supply chain strategy, logistics execution, digital technology, safety practices and local content requirements that support upstream oil and gas operations.

Chevron’s Manager of Communications, Victor Anyaegbudike, gave an overview of the company’s upstream operations, noting that Chevron has operated in Nigeria for more than 60 years across various asset classes.

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The interactive engagement enabled the students to engage supply chain leaders on materials management, marine logistics, sourcing decisions, fleet management and stakeholder expectations within Nigeria’s operating environment.

A supply chain management advisor at Chevron, Olusola King, said effective supply chain management requires sound judgement, adaptability and disciplined decision-making, particularly when managing disruptions and operational constraints.

She explained that the company continues to strengthen control over inbound logistics by deploying sourcing models that improve quality assurance, reduce customs-related risks and ensure the timely delivery of critical materials.

King also highlighted Chevron’s leased marine vessel model, competitive bidding process and safety assurance requirements, including field safety and reliability evaluation inspections conducted before vessels are deployed.

Another company official, Obianuju Okoro, said digital technology has become central to improving supply chain efficiency, noting that the company deploys platforms for procurement, inventory management, contracting plans, material tracking and automated replenishment.

According to her, dashboards, data analytics and emerging technologies are also being used to improve supply chain visibility, anticipate demand and support faster decision-making.

The students were also taken through Chevron’s safety culture, with emphasis on operational discipline, stop-work authority, risk assessments, work-permitting processes, fitness-for-duty requirements and offshore safety certifications.

During a panel discussion, company officials Anamaria Ion and Tuokpe Etikerentse said compliance with Nigerian content requirements remains a key part of Chevron’s contracting strategy, while dedicated sourcing opportunities continue to support host community participation and local economic development.

Chevron’s General Manager, Supply Chain Management, Marizu Nwokoma, an alumnus of the University of Lagos, welcomed the students and encouraged them to leverage opportunities that foster collaboration between academia and industry to enhance the value of research and innovation.

The engagement also featured group exercises on supply chain disruptions using real-world scenarios, with participants applying digital tools and collaborative decision-making to address operational challenges before concluding the visit with a tour of the company’s auto workshop and Lekki warehouse.

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Chevron Supports Local Capacity with $10b in 10 Years

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In the past 10 years, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) has spent over $10 billion to support Nigerian companies and local capacities.

CNL’s, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and the General Manager of Corporate Affairs Shoga Odushelu, disclosed this at the 2026 Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT Council Media Capacity Building for Energy Correspondents in Abuja.

The theme of the capacity building is “Strengthening Energy Journalism Through Knowledge, Data Accuracy and Artificial Intelligence.”

Odushelu, represented at the workshop by Victor Anyegbulike, said, “Right now, every year, we spend about $1 billion for local content. And in the past 10 years, we have spent over $10 billion supporting companies and supporting local capacities”

According to him, most of the prominent players with excellent capacity in the oil and gas industry are the offshoots of Chevron projects.

ALSO READ: FG Considers DPRP Critical to Nigeria’s $1 Trillion Economy Vision

He also recalled that, regarding Nigerian content, Chevron started local community content in 1999, before Nigerian content in 2010.

According to him, the firm, which has reduced gas flaring by 98 per cent, is ready to exit flaring completely very soon for supply to the Nigerian market.

“Where we get all those gases and make sure we put it into the Nigerian market. And we know that in doing that, we are removing all the gas that originally was flared, right?

“And we have reduced our gas flaring by 98%. The idea is for us to get to 100% very, very soon,” he said.

Besides, he revealed that as the company transitions to the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT), it is also building capacity through the HCDTs of each of the communities it operates in.

Chevron payments to its host communities, said Odushelu, have exceeded $140 million in terms of community development projects in the Niger Delta.

“Right now, over $140 million has been paid to these communities for our community development projects in the Niger Delta region,” he said.

Odushelu revealed that Chevron, in partnership with Pan-Atlantic University, was the first company to start training journalists in Lagos in 2014.

According to her, 140 journalists benefited from the programme.

Currently, he said the firm is training journalists all over Nigeria in their various fields, including the Nigeria Association of Energy Correspondents this year.

On the essence of the training, he described journalism as a very noble profession.

Chevron, he said, takes the profession very seriously because of journalists’ functions in society.

In her remarks, the NUJ FCT Council Chairman, Grace Ike, said data accuracy is the compass of journalism.

She added that in an era of abundant numbers and competing claims, credible data separates sound reporting from speculation.

Continuing, she stressed that “We must demand primary sources, verify figures, and develop the habits and tools to cross-check official statistics, company disclosures and independent datasets.

“Where numbers are unclear, we must say so and show our readers why clarity matters.

“Accurate data reporting helps hold corporations and governments accountable, protects communities from misinformation, and builds public confidence in our profession.

“Artificial intelligence is our new tool, not a replacement for our judgement, but a force multiplier when used with discernment.

“AI can rapidly analyse large datasets, identify trends, transcribe interviews, and surface documents.”

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