RSG Plans Oil/Gas Institute …Begins Construction Of 2 Refineries

The Rivers State Government says it has opened negotiation with private partners towards the establishment of an oil and gas institute in the state, as part of efforts to drive the local content policy.

Making the plans public during a media interactive forum organised by the Silverbird Communications over the weekend, Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Dr Dawari George hinted that the state government had opened negotiations with some private partners towards the establishment of the institute.

Apart from raising the competent manpower for the oil sector, Dr George said the effort was also aimed at repositioning the sector in the state.

The commissioner who carpeted most of the oil firms for violating laws and regulations in the industry said the government was tinkering with plans that would evolve comprehensive oil and energy laws to regulate the sector.

Dr George argued that unless the new blueprint was backed by law, the problem of pollution and environmental issues would continue to bedraggle the sector.

In the light of the present situation, the commissioner stated that the state government was convening the first oil/gas summit, beginning from today to evolve a blueprint, and solicited for the input of stakeholders and experts.

On how to further drive the local content policy, Dr George advocated the indigenisation of the laws and regulation in the industry. For him, “the laws and regulations must reflect our local environment if we are to move forward.”

He disagreed with the view that the country must borrow practices obtainable in foreign countries, while insisting that such plans would continue to brew problems as a lot of such practices could not work locally.

Consequently, he said, the state government had acquired licences to operate two new private refineries billed to take off soon in the state.

He said the refineries include an earlier one sited at Ndoni and funded by Shayaz Nigeria Limited and another one to be sited at Okpokiri labeled Omega Refinery.

The Energy and Natural Resources Commissioner  disclosed that already a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed and site cleared for the new refinery.

The one sited in Ndoni at Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, according to Dr George, was still on-going but noted that some grey areas had been addressed while assuring that both would take off at the same time.