The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Thursday said
it had reduced the number of crude oil off-takers for the proposed 2015/2016
term contract from 43 to 16.
It said the move was part of measures to optimise the
marketing of the nation’s crude oil and secure new market potential.
The corporation, in a statement signed by its Group General
Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said, “In a novel move
to instill transparency and probity in the award of the annual crude oil term
contract, the NNPC has mapped out measures to execute the 2015/2016 award of
contract to companies for the evacuation of Nigeria’s crude oil equity from the
various crude and condensate production arrangements.”
It said, “In the days ahead, we shall place advertisement
for the 2015/2016 term contracts and the publication will run for one month in
major national and international print media to ensure effective message
penetration. Later, the guidelines for the selection of new off-takers would be
published and subsequently a special bid evaluation committee would be
constituted to conduct due diligence on successful applicants.”
The NNPC also clarified that apart from the earlier listed
industry operators whose performance trajectory impressed the management of the
corporation to invite them to bid for the proposed Offshore Processing
Agreements, “the corporation is extending the invitation for competitive
bidding to Forte Oil and Mobil, among others.”
It said, “We are throwing the tender process open for competitive
bidding by strong industry players with track records of integrity and
financial strength to execute the project.”
The nation sells its oil through annual term contracts
awarded by the NNPC to a list of companies, both local and international and
the firms are then eligible to buy crude throughout the year.
The list of the 2014-2015 crude oil term contracts, which
was released in April last year and expanded in June, showed 28 Nigerian firms
among the 43 winners.
Copyright PUNCH.
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