The Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has indicated the resolve of the corporation to go back to Lake Chad basin and continue oil exploration.
Speaking at the NNPC Day at the ongoing 39th Kaduna International Trade Fair in Kaduna on Wednesday, the NNPC boss said in spite of the security challenges experience in the basin, there would not be any determent in resuming to start oil exploration.
We are going back to Lake Chad basin in full force, he declared.
Baru thanked the president for facilitating the release of the University of Maiduguri lecturers who were abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents, saying that the lecturers had since joined their families.
Baru, who highlighted effort of the corporation to sustain fuel supply all over the country, indicated measures taken by NNPC among others to fully deploying activating 24 hours real-time fuel war room for effective monitoring of the fuel supply and distribution dynamics across the country, sustaining 24 hours loading and sales operations in all our depots and mega stations, and working with security outfits to curtail diversion through escort of trucks and monitoring.
During a question and answer session, Baru clarified that building a new refinery in Katsina is actually at Pate, not katsina.
He said the refinery is not being built by the government or NNPC. “But, we are facilitators since we already have refineries. For it to come on stream, we are going to get crude oil from Niger and there will be a pipeline extension.
“The initial capacity is 34 percent, about 20,000 barrels per day and we have a plan to expand it to another 65000 barrels per day. It is square private-sector-driven and what we are doing is to help them facilitate the project.
“Their plan is to bring the refinery on stream within 36 months, and at the current rate they have completed the feasibility study and they will soon start with the detail engineering work.