- The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has released the guidelines for the participation of local and foreign companies in the sale and purchase of the various grades of Nigerian crude oil.
- Details of the guidelines for the sale of the country’s crude, which were published Monday, requires companies that wish to participate to show evidence of yearly turnover of $750 million; a minimum net worth of $300 million; ability to establish an irrevocable Letter of Credit for the payment of any allocated crude oil, subject to the terms of the contract; and ability to pay an initial deposit of $2.5 million, representing three lifting deposits upon signing of the contract agreement.
- Each participating company is also required to show “evidence of compliance with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Amendment Act of 2011 by inclusion of a copy of compliance certificate from ITF, where applicable”.
- Each applicant should also provide details of facilities, markets and the volume of crude oil/products traded or processed over the last three years, and audited accounts for 2012, 2013 and 2014. To ensure that each participant has a track record of performance, the companies must also show evidence of similar services carried out within the last five years.
- The NNPC also made compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content (NOGIC) Act of 2010 a major consideration in the selection of participants, as evidence of Nigerian equity in any applicant gives it a competitive advantage, according to the guidelines.