By Ken Afor
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its joint venture partner, Newcross Exploration and Production Ltd., have restarted crude oil production from the Awoba Unit Field, a key asset expected to significantly increase the nation’s oil and gas output.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Olufemi O. Soneye, chief corporate communications officer of NNPC Ltd., on Tuesday, April 23.
According to Mr Soneye, the Awoba field, which last contributed to the Bonny Terminal in 2021 before being shut down in February 2022 due to evacuation challenges and crude theft, is now averaging 8,000 barrels per day (bpd) since resuming operations on April 13.
Production is projected to reach 12,000 bpd within the next 30 days at full ramp-up.
Soneye noted: “The Awoba Unit, which straddles OMLs 18 and 24, is located in the mangrove swamp south of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. 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, which have steadily contributed an average of 60,000bpd to the nation’s production output since their restart.”
Meanwhile, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Mele Kyari, attributed the success to the enabling business environment provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
He expressed gratitude to all stakeholders, including staff, operators, host communities, government security agencies, and private security contractors, for their pivotal roles in achieving this feat.
Experts say that the restart of the Awoba field aligns with Nigeria’s efforts to optimize production from its hydrocarbon assets, boost revenues, and meet the nation’s Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota.
Also, as the country continues to address challenges like crude theft and evacuation issues, the revitalisation of key assets like Awoba is expected to significantly bolster Nigeria’s energy sector.
