..Pledges Continued Support for Federal Government’s Ambition in Frontier Regionssx̌
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has provided updates on its crude oil exploration activities in the Northern part of the country, reiterating its commitment to achieving the Federal Government’s aspirations in the frontier basins.
“The company has been actively drilling in basins in and around Northern Nigeria, as a result of the need to increase oil exploration in the country’s frontier basins”.
This was contained in a publication authored by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye, who noted that “this is a strategic engagement that NNPC Ltd will not compromise on.”
Soneye pointed out that the NNPCL is intensifying its patriotic efforts, making significant progress, and advancing considerable prospects to make do its promises to Nigerians.
Soneye, added that the discovery and exploration of crude oil in the north will not only appear as a dream pursued, but as an economic reality to boost oil production as well as deepen the strength and efficiency of the petroleum industry value chain in Nigeria.
He said: “NNPC Ltd, in compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, is leaving no stone unturned to continue oil drilling projects in the North after decades of exploration in other basins.
“With crude oil reserves of more than 37 billion barrels and the 6th largest world producer, the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the north eastern part of the country will only accentuate the prosperity and growth of Nigeria in the comity of nations.
“It is therefore untrue for naysayers or sceptics to claim that NNPC has halted the search for oil in Nigeria’s inland basins. On the contrary, NNPC Ltd is intensifying its patriotic efforts, making significant progress, and advancing considerable prospects to make do its promises no matter whose ox is gored.”
While stating that the NNPC Ltd would not suspend its inland basins oil and gas exploration activities, as some have suggested, he quipped that “Instead, the company is intensifying efforts to expedite the process and ensure the efficient exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in these areas, thereby contributing to national energy security
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) has assured that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, oil exploration in the northern of the country is on course.
Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer (CCCO) of NNPC Limited, made this clarification in a recent publication noting that the company in compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is leaving no stone unturned to continue oil drilling projects in the North after decades of exploration in the South.
He emphasized that the company is currently active in the inland basins of Nigeria with some drilling projects including Wadi-2 Appraisal/Exploratory Well in OPL 732 and Ebenyi-1 Exploration Well in OPL 826.
According to him, the Wadi-2 Appraisal/Exploratory Well in OPL 732 in Borno State, within the Chad Basin, was spudded on November 4, 2023, and drilled to a total depth of 12,050 feet.
He noted that the drilling phase concluded on June 29, 2024 and the preliminary results from the geological evaluation of the well objectives led to post-drilling well testing, which began on July 4, 2024, and is ongoing.
“This testing aims to further evaluate the target reservoirs for the occurrence of a commercial accumulation of hydrocarbons and to obtain data for future field development,” he stated.
On Ebenyi-1 Exploration Well in OPL 826, which is situated in Nasarawa State within the Middle Benue Trough, drilling began on July 17, 2023.
“The 17½” hole section was drilled and cased to a depth of 3,449 fee
