The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and its Joint Venture (JV) partner, Newcross Exploration and Production Ltd., have restarted production at Awoba field, Port Harcourt, Rivers.
The NNPC Ltd. said the field last contributed to the Bonny Terminal in 2021 and was finally shut down in February 2022 due to evacuation issues and crude oil theft.
Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd. Malam Mele Kyari, in a statement on Tuesday, said since the restart on April 13, production at the field had averaged 8,000 barrels per day.
According to the GCEO, the production is expected to reach 12,000 per day within 30 days.
He said Awoba was also expected to significantly boost gas supply to the power sector and other gas-based industries.
He said the NNPC Ltd. was keen on optimising production from the nation’s hydrocarbon assets to boost revenue.
Kyari said it would also help to meet the nation’s Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota.
He ascribed the achievement to the President Bola Tinubu administration’s success in providing the enabling operating environment for businesses to thrive.
He expressed appreciation to all stakeholders, including staff, operators, host communities, government security agencies, and private security contractors who played a pivotal role in achieving the feat.
The Awoba Unit, which straddles OMLs 18 and 24 is located in the mangrove swamp south of Port Harcourt, Rivers.
Both OML 18 and OML 24 assets are under the management of the NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS).
NNPC Ltd. has been recording a string of production successes from the JV portfolio which have significantly lifted overall national production.
Besides the recent start of production at the Madu Field by the NNPC Ltd/First E&P JV, the company has achieved the restart of production at OMLs 29 and OML 18 in late 2023.
These contributed an average of 60,000bpd to the nation’s production output since their restart. (NAN)
By Emmanuella Anokam
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