Connect with us

Business

N2.015trn Worth Of Petrol Consumed In 13 Months, NNPC Claims

Published

on

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has reported that it sold N2.015trillion worth of petrol from November, 2019 to November, 2020.
The corporation in a statement, yesterday, said in the month of November, 2020, it recorded a trading surplus of N13.43billion up by 54 per cent when compared to the N8.71billion surplus recorded in October, 2020.
The NNPC said 1.725 billion litres of white products were sold and distributed by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC, in the month of November, 2020, compared with over 1.224 billion litres in the month of October, 2020.
This comprised 1.723 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 2.13 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) also known as diesel, and 0.33 million litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene.
The corporation added that total sale of white products for the period November, 2019, to November, 2020, stood at 17.031 billion litres and PMS accounted for 16.911 billion litres or 99.29 per cent.
“In monetary terms, a sum of N226.08billion was made on the sale of white products by PPMC in the month of November, 2020, compared to N158.04billion sales in October, 2020.
“Total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period November, 2019 to November, 2020 stood at N2.034trillion, where PMS contributed about 99.09 per cent of the total sales with a value of over N2.015trillion.”
The NNPC’s spokesman, Dr Kennie Obateru, explained in the statement that the “trading surplus or trading deficit is derived after deduction of the expenditure profile from the revenue in the period under review”.
In November, 2020, NNPC Group’s operating revenue as compared to October, 2020, decreased slightly by 0.02 percent or N0.09billion to stand at N423.08billion.
Similarly, expenditure for the month decreased by 1.16 percent or N4.81billion to stand at N409.65billion, leading to the N13.43billion trading surplus.
Obateru explained further that overall, expenditure as a proportion of revenue was 0.97 in November, 2020 as against 0.98 in October, 2020.
He attributed the 54 per cent increase in trading surplus in the November to “the substantial decrease in expenditure from the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) due to cost reduction in overheads, coupled with 38 percent reduction in NNPC Corporate Headquarters deficit”.
In addition, the NNPC Group’s surplus was bolstered by the noticeable improved profits for additional engineering services rendered by the Nigerian Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO) and increased revenue from import activities posted by Duke Oil Incorporated.
These healthy performances dominated the positions of all other NNPC subsidiaries to record the Group surplus, he added. He the figures are contained in the November, 2020, edition of the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR).
The report also indicated that export sales of crude oil and gas for the month stood at $108.84million, making a 70.33 per cent increase compared to the last month.
Crude oil export sales contributed $73.09million (67.15%) of the dollar transactions compared with $12.38million contribution in the previous month; while the export gas sales amounted to $35.75million in the month.
The total crude oil and gas export for the period of November, 2019 to November, 2020 stood at $2.89billion.
In the Gas Sector, a total of 222.34 Billion Cubic Feet (BCF) of natural gas was produced in the month under review, translating to an average daily production of 7,411.52 Million Standard Cubic Feet per Day (mmscfd).
For the period November, 2019 to November, 2020, a total of 3,004.06BCF of gas was produced, representing an average daily production of 7,642.69mmscfd during the period.
The report also stated that out of this volume, production from Joint Ventures (JVs) accounted for 67.29 percent, Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) accounted for 19.97 percent, while the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) accounted for 12.74 percent.
A further breakdown showed that a total of 137.41 BCF of gas was commercialized, consisting of 39.99BCF and 97.42BCF for the domestic and export market respectively.
This translates to a total supply of 1,332.82 mmscfd of gas to the domestic market and 3,247.44 mmscfd of gas supplied to the export market for the month.
This implies that 62.55 per cent of the average daily gas produced was commercialized while the balance of 37.45 per cent was re-injected, used as upstream fuel gas or flared.
Gas flare rate was 7.89 per cent for the month under review translating to 577.39 mmscfd.
A total of 789mmscfd was delivered to gas-fired power plants in the month of November, 2020, to generate an average power of about 3,358MW compared with October, 2020 when an average of 750mmscfd was supplied.

Continue Reading

Business

Two Federal Agencies Enter Pack On Expansion, Sustainable Electricity In Niger Delta

Published

on

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to expand access to reliable and sustainable electricity across the Niger Delta region.
The agreement, signed at the headquarters of the REA in Abuja, was targeted at strengthening institutional collaboration and accelerating development in underserved communities in the region.
A statement by the Director, Corporate Affairs of the NDDC, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, said the pact underscores renewed efforts by the two federal interventionist agencies to deepen cooperation and fast-track infrastructure delivery.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, described the MoU as a strategic step towards realising the Commission’s vision to “light up the Niger Delta” in line with national priorities on distributed energy expansion.
Ogbuku said the agreement represents a shared institutional responsibility to deliver reliable energy solutions that will enhance livelihoods, stimulate local economies and create broader opportunities across the nine Niger Delta states.
According to him, electricity remains a critical enabler of national development, supporting job creation, healthcare delivery, education and inclusive economic growth.
He noted that the collaboration would help unlock the economic potential of rural communities while advancing broader national development objectives.
The NDDC boss added that the Commission has consistently adopted partnership-driven approaches in executing projects in the region and is prepared to support the implementation of the MoU by leveraging its community presence and infrastructure development capacity.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to working closely with the REA to ensure the timely and effective execution of the agreement.
The NDDC delegation at the event included the Executive Director, Projects, Dr Victor Antai; Executive Director, Corporate Services, Otunba Ifedayo Abegunde; Director, Legal Services, Mr Victor Arenyeka; Director, Finance and Supply, Mrs Kunemofa Asu; and Director, Liaison Office, Abuja, Mrs Mary Nwaeke.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of the REA, Dr Abba Abubakar Aliyu, described the MoU as a natural collaboration between two agencies with complementary mandates, reflecting a shared commitment to expanding access to sustainable electricity in rural communities.
Aliyu said the Niger Delta remains central to Nigeria’s economic fortunes and must be supported by infrastructure capable of driving productivity, enterprise and improved living standards, adding that the partnership signals readiness to deliver stable power to communities that have long awaited reliable electricity supply.
By: King Onunwor
Continue Reading

Business

Why The AI Boom May Extend The Reign Of Natural Gas 

Published

on

Artificial intelligence is often viewed as a catalyst for electrification and subsequently decarbonization. Yet one of its most immediate effects may be the opposite of what many assume. The rapid buildout of AI infrastructure is increasing demand for reliable power, and that reality could strengthen the role of natural gas and other dispatchable energy sources for many years.
Investors focused on semiconductors and software valuations may be overlooking a key constraint. AI runs on electricity, and those electricity systems operate within physical and economic limits.
The energy sector has spent much of the past decade grappling with slow load growth. That is now changing, in a way that is reminiscent of the sharp rise in oil demand—and subsequently price—in the early 2000s.
Training large language models and operating advanced AI systems requires enormous computing resources. Hyperscale data centers are expanding rapidly, with developers requesting gigawatt-scale interconnections from utilities. In several regions, electricity demand forecasts have been revised upward after years of flat expectations.
This shift is significant because AI workloads create continuous, high-density demand rather than intermittent usage. Data centers cannot simply power down when the electricity supply becomes constrained. Reliability becomes paramount.
Wind and solar capacity continues to expand, but intermittent generation alone cannot meet the firm capacity needs of AI infrastructure without significant storage or backup generation.
Battery storage is improving, yet long-duration storage remains costly at scale. Nuclear projects face long development timelines and complex permitting hurdles. Transmission expansion also lags demand growth in many regions.
These constraints make dispatchable power sources critical. Natural gas plants can ramp quickly, operate continuously, and be deployed faster than many alternatives. As a result, gas-fired generation is increasingly viewed as a practical solution for supporting AI-driven load growth.
This does not undermine the role of renewables. In many markets, new renewable capacity is paired with gas generation to maintain grid stability. The key point is that AI-driven electrification is likely to increase fossil fuel usage in the near term.
Construction timelines favor gas-fired generation when demand rises quickly. Existing pipeline infrastructure reduces barriers to expansion. And for operators of data centers, reliability often outweighs ideological preferences. Downtime is simply too expensive.
Utilities are also revisiting resource plans as load forecasts rise. That shift may drive increased investment in transmission, grid modernization, and flexible generation assets.
The Decarbonization Story Is Complex
A common narrative holds that AI accelerates the transition away from fossil fuels because it increases electrification. The reality is more nuanced.
If electricity demand outpaces the buildout of low-carbon capacity, fossil generation may still increase in absolute terms even as renewables gain market share. Total emissions could rise, but the carbon intensity of the energy system may trend lower as cleaner sources make up a larger share of supply.
Ultimately, energy systems evolve based on engineering and economics, not just policy goals or market narratives.
Rising power demand could benefit utilities investing in transmission and generation capacity. Natural gas producers and midstream companies may see structural demand support from increased power-sector consumption. Equipment suppliers tied to grid reliability and gas turbines could also gain from the shift.
Longer term, advances in nuclear, storage, or efficiency may change the trajectory. For now, the immediate response to surging electricity demand is likely to rely on technologies that can be deployed quickly and reliably.
Artificial intelligence may reshape the economy in profound ways. One of the least appreciated consequences is that it may extend the relevance of natural gas as the world builds the energy backbone required to power the next generation of computing.
By: Robert Rapier
Continue Reading

Business

Ogun To Join Oil-Producing States  ……..As NNPCL Kicks Off Commercial Oil Production At Eba

Published

on

Ogun State is set to join the comity of oil producing states in the country following the discovery and subsequent approval of commercial oil exploration activities in the Eba oil well, in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of the state.
A technical team from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has visited the area as preparations are in advanced stage for commencement of commercial drilling operations in the state.
The inspection followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for commercial exploration, forming part of the federal government’s efforts to deploy the required technical capacity and infrastructure for production.
Officials of NNPCL carried out the exercise alongside representatives of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and national security agencies to evaluate the site and confirm its readiness for drilling activities.
The delegation was led by Project Coordinator for Enserv, Hussein Aliyu, who headed the NNPCL Enserv technical team.
Other members included Wasiu Adeniyi, Onwugba Kelechi, Engr. Rabiu M. Audu, Ojonoka Braimah, Ahmad Usman, Akinbosola Oluwaseyi, Salisu Nuhu, James Amezhinim, Yusuf Abdul-Azeez, Amararu Isukul and Livinus J. Kigbu.
Speaking, Governor Dapo Abiodun, described the development as a landmark achievement for Ogun State, saying “the commencement of drilling at Eba would stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities and attract increased federal presence to the state’s coastal communities.
Abiodun also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his support toward the development of frontier oil basins and the equitable spread of the nation’s energy resources.
Recall that geological reports had earlier confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons within the Ogun Waterside axis, leading to preliminary surveys and technical engagements by NNPCL.
The Ogun State Government also carried out an independent verification of the oil well’s coordinates, affirming the discovery is located within the state’s boundaries.
To secure the project, naval security personnel have been deployed to the site for over 18 months, with the support of the Ogun State Government, to protect the facility and its environs.
The Eba oil well is regarded as part of Nigeria’s strategic move to expand oil production beyond the Niger Delta region.
Continue Reading

Trending