Business News
Tax reform, policy uncertainties to cause oil drop in Nigeria, WoodMac warns
A new report by consultancy firm, Wood Mackenzie, has disclosed that Nigeria’s crucial energy sector could experience a 35% decline in oil output.
A new report by a research and consultancy group, Wood Mackenzie, has disclosed that Nigeria’s crucial energy sector could experience a 35% decline in oil output, as international oil companies delay their investment in the nation’s oilfield due to changes in her economic climate.
Wood Mackenzie, also known as WoodMac, explained that the 35% decline would occur over 10 years and added that the three deep offshore fields would experience a delay as companies would prefer to invest their money in regions with better and clearer terms, than Nigeria.
The three oil projects, which are Shell’s Bonga Southwest Aparo, Total’s Preowei, and ExxonMobil’s Owowo, are projected to start by 2027, 2025 and 2029, respectively, although, Reuter reported that Total’s Preowei would likely receive a final investment decision by 2020 and 2021, as it is currently under study. The deepwater fields hold an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of oil and could add 300,000 bpd of oil.
“Nigeria is going to enter quite a steep decline in production,” the principal analyst of sub-Saharan Africa upstream for Wood Mackenzie, Lennert Koch, said.
He added that, “In order to keep its revenue up…it needs to develop additional fields.” In spite of the fact that offshore oil projects are expensive and time-consuming, to maintain output, as fields naturally decline, Nigeria needs continuous investment. Currently, Nigeria has about 780,000 bpd.
Some of the economic factors discouraging the companies include tax reforms, which have resulted in an increase in the cost of operations, part of which is the increase in the VAT rate from 5% to 7.5%.
Another factor is the royalty laws and uncertainty over oil reform. The government plans to pass a bill, which will overhaul the oil sector this year, so companies are unsure if terms of development will change.
[READ MORE: Oil drops below $80, contradicting initial forecasts)
Also, it was reported that under the current economy in Nigeria and with oil under $60 per barrel, the three projects are “not economically viable”. However, at peak production, the three deep offshore fields could generate $2.7 billion a year for the Nigerian government.
On why they are looking at other regions, Koch said, “What makes some of the other regions more attractive is just higher returns (from) lower costs and less regulatory uncertainty.”
Business News
Ecobank Transnational to hold AGM by proxies on June 30th
Due to the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic, ETI said the AGM will be held by proxies.
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has announced the date and venue of its 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM). According to a disclosure that was sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the company’s AGM and an Extraordinary Meeting are scheduled to hold on June 30th, 2020, at Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Due to the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic, ETI said the AGM will be held by proxies. The proxy AGM is expected to enable the Pan-African financial institution to abide by the directives issued by governments and agencies regarding COVID-19 and how to contain its spread.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, ETI intends to strictly comply with this restriction in addition to other applicable health and safety measures. Accordingly, attendance at this year’s General Meetings shall be mainly by proxies in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Company and applicable law,” a statement by the company said.
To this end, shareholders have been advised to select any of the company’s top executives (including the Chairman, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, and the MD of Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan) to represent and vote on their behalf during the AGM. Proxy forms may be downloaded from the company’s website, filled, and submitted in advance.
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Meanwhile, the issues that are up for discussion during the AGM and the Extra Ordinary meeting are enumerated below.
Annual General Meeting
1. Approval of the accounts
2. Appropriation of the Profits
3. Election of Directors
4. Ratification of the co-option of directors
5. Renewal of the appointment of the joint auditors
6. Approval of the Final Board Fees for Retiring Directors
Extraordinary General Meeting
1. Withdrawal of resolution on consolidation of shares
2. Amendment of the Articles
Note that in Q1 2020, ETI reported profited after-tax from continuing operation of N66.4 billion, marking a 19% decline when compared to N81.9 billion during the comparable period in 2019.
ETI’s share price on the Nigerian Stock Exchange closed Friday’s trading session at N5.55. The company has a market capitalisation of about N137.3 billion according to information obtained from Bloomberg.
Business News
NNPC explains measures to cut cost of crude oil production
Ewubare stated that NNPC was looking very closely at such variables as logistics, security, and transportation with a view to reducing the cost of production to $10 per barrel or below.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it is taking some measures to bring down the cost of crude oil production to $10 per barrel or below.
According to a press statement that was signed by NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, this was disclosed by the Corporation’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ventures and Business Development, Mr. Roland Ewubare, on a Channels TV breakfast programme on Friday, June 5, 2020.
Ewubare pointed out that the peculiarity of the terrain was an important factor in determining cost, with such issues as pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and some others being critical factors that are peculiar to the Nigerian terrain and would definitely drive up crude oil production cost in the country.
READ ALSO: NNPC unveils COVID-19 contacts tracing app, marketers to buy petroleum products online
He, however, stated that NNPC was looking very closely at such variables as logistics, security, and transportation with a view to reducing cost of production to $10 per barrel or below.
He disclosed that much had been done over the years in the area of reducing contracting cycle which used to be a major factor responsible for high cost of production, stressing that the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) achieved a six-month contracting cycle under him as Group General Manager.
Mr. Ewubare denied reports that Nigeria is part of OPEC+ member countries that did not comply with the output cut that was agreed by the alliance
Mr. Ewubare explained that though Nigeria’s total production capacity was 2.3million barrels per day, it was currently producing only about 1.4million barrels per day in compliance with the OPEC+ production quota, stressing that what makes up the little extra over the 1.4mbpd figure being bandied around for Nigeria was condensate which is usually not computed as part of production in OPEC quota.
READ MORE: NNPC seeks Russian firms’ partnership to revamp oil refineries
While making some clarification, Ewubare said, “There’s some confusion in the market around the parameters for the production cuts. Nigeria has a full production capacity of about 2.3mbpd. We are currently producing between 1.6 and 1.7mbpd. Our OPEC quota as a result of the cuts is about 1.4mbpd. You and I know that condensate is not included in the computation of the cut numbers. So what we have is 1.4mbpd of crude oil. The little you see above 1.4mbpd is made up of condensate which does not count as part of the basis for assessing our OPEC quota”.
NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, in a recent interview, advanced a similar position where he stressed that NNPC was working assiduously to bring down the cost of crude oil production to not more than $10 per barrel by 2021.
Business News
NNPC raises alarm over low grade, contaminated diesel in the market
This warning was contained in a report by the Managing Director, NNPC Retail Limited Managing Director, Dr. Billy Okoye, who also admonished motorists to be careful of the off-spec products.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has raised alarm over the circulation of low grade and contaminated AGO, popularly known as diesel, which is offered at discounted prices in some parts of the country.
This was disclosed in a press release by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr Kennie Obateru, on Friday June 5, 2020.
This warning was contained in a report by the Managing Director, NNPC Retail Limited Managing Director, Dr. Billy Okoye, who also admonished motorists to be careful of the off-spec products.
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The state oil giant, in the press statement, said, “The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has raised an alarm over prevalent low grade and contaminated AGO, otherwise called diesel, offered at discounted prices in parts of the country.”
Dr. Okoye, stated that the warning became necessary because the low grade contaminated diesel is harmful to machines and the environment. He explained that NNPC Retail Ltd is a market leader and therefore considered it incumbent upon it to alert the general public on the circulation of these low grade products.
While urging consumers of the product to patronize the oil firm’s service stations where the quality of their products was assured, Dr. Okoye gave assurances that NNPC Retail Limited dealt only in premium high-quality products in the interest of Nigerian motorists and users.
READ MORE: Fitch revises national ratings of GTBank, Zenith bank
Unlike the premium motor spirit otherwise known as petrol, which was operating a fixed price regime and had NNPC as the sole importer, the diesel products were deregulated and had other independent marketers apart from NNPC importing the products as well.
The intense competition and unhealthy drive for profit, in addition to poor regulation, could have given rise to this.
