May 22, 2015 : Okechukwu Nnodim
Director, DPR, Mr. Osten Olorunsola
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
The
Department of Petroleum Resources has announced its readiness to
release the guidelines for the establishment of modular refineries in
the country, with the aim of shortening the approval time for licensing
of refineries.
It also said that the Federal Government was working towards refining 50 per cent of the country’s crude oil locally.
The bulk of the refined petroleum
products is imported as the country’s four refineries are working below
their respective installed capacities.
The
Deputy Director, Engineering and Standards, DPR, Mr. Alfred Ohiani,
said the new guidelines would reflect the processes for the issuance of
licences, which would span a period of 12 months.
He spoke at a sensitisation workshop in Abuja on the modular refineries initiative.
Ohiani stated that the Federal Government
was working towards ensuring that 50 per cent of Nigeria’s crude oil
production was refined locally.
He expressed optimism that the target of
increased refining capacity would be achieved with modular refineries,
adding, that the licensing fee would remain at $50,000.
According to him, a modular refinery,
valued at between $1m and $15m depending on the capacity, will squeeze
out value from stranded hydrocarbon in remote locations and marginal
fields to enhance resource utilisation and spur economic activities.
“To facilitate the process of setting up
modular refineries, the DPR will pre-qualify a number of original
equipment manufacturers thereby eliminating/minimising the process of
verification of engineering,” Ohiani said.
He added that several vendors and
suppliers of modular refineries available worldwide had approached the
DPR, adding that the OEMs would be evaluated, pre-qualified and
recommended to partner with the Federal Government on the modular
refinery initiative.
He stated that the decision to
pre-qualify the original manufacturers of modular refineries was to
facilitate the process of licensing and plant establishment.
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