The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Oil, Heineken Lokpobiri has said that the federal government will stop fuel importation in February 2024.

Speaking during a working visit to the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Eleme, Rivers State, Lokpobiri stated that Port Harcourt refinery would commence operations before the end of 2023, precisely in December, while Warri refinery which is also undergoing rehabilitation and will start refining petroleum products by February.

The Minister who expressed happiness with the level of work done at the Port Harcourt refinery, said the $1.5bn rehabilitation work will ensure that the facility refines up to 60,000 barrels of crude per day when completed by the end of 2023.

Lokpobiri said the essence of the inspection was to ensure the timely rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery and the completion of other refineries in the country at the scheduled dates.

The Minister said;

“The essence of today’s inspection is to come see the extent of work done at the Port Harcourt Refinery and we are happy with the level of work done here.

“From what we have seen here, we believe the project will be completed as scheduled. The Port Harcourt Refinery will come on board fully by the end of this year, 2023. Warri will start operating by the first quarter of next year and then, Kaduna will come on stream towards the end of next year.

“The Port Harcourt Refinery when completed is expected to produce about 54 to 60 barrels per day, while Warri refinery when it comes on stream by February, 2024 will produce 75 barrels of oil per day. If we add that to Dangote refinery we will be able to stop fuel importation and Nigeria can now have the benefits of full deregulation.

Century Energy Group (CG) has announced its partnership with Energy Link Infrastructure (Malta) Limited (ELI) for the completion, operations and maintenance of the ELI AKASO floating storage and offloading (FSO) terminal in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18.

This project is a critical component of the Alternative Crude Oil Evacuation System’s (ACOES) infrastructure, which is in line with our corporate vision of supporting stranded oil and gas asset commercialization and production enhancement through energy infrastructure services.

Under a Risk Service Contract, CG has deployed its personnel, infrastructure, and expertise towards the engagement and has made significant progress in the completion of FSO Eli Akaso spread mooring. CG is scheduled to complete the spread-mooring by 10th April 2023.

Upon completion of the spread-mooring for the ELI Akaso, CG will be responsible for the daily operations and management of the FSO ELI AKASO terminal.

The Terminal will serve as a dedicated crude oil storage and export terminal for OML holders and Marginal Field producers in the Eastern Niger Delta, inclusive of the OML 18 JV, and other stranded satellite fields.

ELI’s ACOES infrastructure comprises a new 47km secure undersea pipeline from OML 18 and the FSO ELI AKASO terminal.

This ACOES infrastructure will enhance crude oil commercialization primarily through the reduction of downtime and crude losses associated with the existing export routes.

The pipeline component is expected to have a throughput capability of 100,000 barrels per day (b/d) of oil, while the FSO ELI AKASO has a storage capacity of 2 million barrels of oil.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Energy Link Infrastructure for the spread-mooring installation, and operations and management of the FSO ELI AKASO,” said Ken Etete, Group CEO of Century Energy Group. “This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Century Energy Group as we continue to expand our reach and capabilities in the energy infrastructure sub-sector. With ELI’s expertise and experience in the industry, we are confident in our ability to provide world-class services and maximize the potential of this project.”

Kolapo Ademola, CEO of ELI, commented “ELI is delighted to collaborate with Century Energy Group. CEG’s proven expertise and experience in the sector provides ELI with a reliable partner towards the attainment of our corporate goals within the midstream oil and gas sector in Nigeria. Our collaboration with CEG expedites our ability to deliver value to our key partners and stakeholders; Crude Oil producers in the Eastern Niger Delta, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian economy at large.”

Century Energy Group remains committed to the development of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria and is confident that this partnership with ELI will contribute significantly to the sector’s growth and the Nigerian economy at large.

…AVEVA highlights world-leading digital solutions to help oil and gas companies in Egypt, North Africa and the Mediterranean achieve decarbonization and value-chain innovation on the path to net-zero

AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, returns to the Egypt Petroleum Show (EGYPS) 2023 with the latest digital solutions for responsible use of the world’s resources.

Alongside Schneider Electric, AVEVA will showcase how connected industrial ecosystems harness data to support innovation and improve business performance for sustainability in the energy industry.

AVEVA brings its unparalleled portfolio of world-class digital software to EGYPS 2023, including popular asset performance management solutions and value chain optimization products, as well as the market-leading AVEVA digital twin technology. In addition, show delegates will be able to experience firsthand how  AVEVA Unified Operations Center offers a 360-degree view of plant operations with greater visibility of energy sources, consumption and greenhouse emissions data.

With businesses beginning to realize the productivity, efficiency and scalability benefits of cloud computing, the industrial software-as-a-service platform AVEVA Connect has demonstrated its value in driving innovation, growth and sustainability for the energy sector. The platform now hosts AVEVA Production Accounting, which addresses the pressing issue of unaccounted losses for refineries, petrochemical plants, and other processing facilities. 

Nayef Bou Chaaya, AVEVA Vice President, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said, “After a successful presence at COP27 where we demonstrated the essential role of data-led technologies in supporting climate innovation and industrial decarbonization, I’m delighted the AVEVA team is returning to Egypt.

“At EGYPS 2023, we will showcase how our unrivalled suite of cutting-edge products can support the creation of a resilient, net-zero energy future, while enabling customers to implement their sustainability roadmaps at a challenging economic moment,” he added.

Sharing data to unlock innovation in a low-carbon economy

Digital technologies speed up innovation and value generation by eliminating internal and external silos. When operational data is infused with artificial intelligence (AI) in the cloud and shared across the connected industrial ecosystem, it creates a digital thread of contextualized, real-time, information so teams can collaborate in a smarter and more connected way.

Applications such as the industrial digital twin are already proving how companies can realize unprecedented economies, synergies and benefits for their own organizations and for society at large. The connected industrial economy further leverages these strengths by sparking industrial ingenuity and facilitating co-operation in a world where businesses face innumerable headwinds.

Bob Parker, Senior Vice President at leading analyst firm IDC said, at AVEVA WORLD 2022 “A rapidly evolving digital economy is unparalleled in depth and scope after being accelerated by the pandemic. Asset-intensive industry segments of the old economy including oil and gas (…), are under new pressure on operations to be increasingly resilient. This requires higher levels of asset instrumentation and capabilities that use the data gathered to speed up decision-making and innovation. Ultimately, this is leading to the rise of connected industrial ecosystems.”

Delegates visiting the AVEVA and Schneider Electric stand at EGYPS 2023 will experience firsthand how they can combine engineering data with real-time and transactional data to unlock actionable insights, redefine processes, enable deeper collaboration, and reduce value leaks while raising productivity – all in real time. They will be able to learn how to converge engineering, operations, and other data in context for end-to-end enterprise visibility using a single 360-degree view of plant operations. The latest asset performance management solutions will also be demonstrated at the event.

AVEVA experts will share how the connected industrial economy presents unprecedented opportunities for the energy sector at stand 2C30 at EGYPS 2023. The event is being held at the Egypt International Exhibition in Cairo from February 13-15, 2023.