The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN) has concluded arrangements with two British oil companies to build two modular refineries in Plateau State.

The National Secretary of IPMAN, Alhaji Danladi Pasali, who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in Jos, said the decision was taken following the return of peace and the change in the political and economic atmosphere in the state.

Pasali said, “We have concluded arrangement with two foreign firms from Britain, Blue Oil Company and WaterCarbonField Energy to build two modular refineries. One refinery would be located in Plateau South while the other one will be built in Plateau North.”

He said that following the approval of over 60 modular refineries in the country by President Muhammadu Buhari and the accommodative, peaceful as well as inclusive system of governance demonstrated by the current administration in the state, the state would witness more and more investment from foreign and local investors.

Pasali noted that investors have been driven away from Plateau state in the past because of attitude of previous governments and the protracted communal crisis in state, “but the measures put in place by the present government has restored the confidence of investors and a lot of other investors would storm the state.

President Buhari had within his first 100 days in office granted licences to Nigerian companies to construct modular refineries.

Modular refineries are mini-refineries with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) which can be assembled and separated easily for enhanced performance and efficiency.
The decision to award the licences may not be unconnected with his (Buhari’s) desire to see the increase in domestic refining capacity to meet local demand, thereby reducing huge import bills and addressing the perennial scarcity of petroleum products in the state and environs.

It would be recalled that the federal government had in 2002 granted 18 similar licences but only one of them had come on stream with just 1,000 bpd capacity. The refinery is operated by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources, NDPR, which produces only automotive gas oil (AGO) popularly called diesel.

ViewPointNigeria Investigation

When ViewPointNigeria contacted the said companies, Blue Oil Company and WaterCarbonField Energy to confirm the veracity of story, no immediate response could be obtainable. However, a quick review of their websites suggests that these companies are merely marketing and consulting  companies and not technical or engineering companies with the requisite manpower or capabilities for the implementation of the projects.

http://www.blueoilgroup.com

http://www.watercarbonfield.com

It therefore remains to be seen how these companies will be able to deliver on such large capital projects. That said, it is not uncommon for memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to be signed with intermediaries like these companies, before the technical partners who will undertake the construction etc are contracted.

The other thing to bear in mind is that, in 2002 approximately 18 licences for the constructions of these modular refineries were signed into law by the Obasanjo administration, but only 1 came onstream (and only producing at the lowest capacity of 1000bpd of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)). As such, laudable as these ideas/projects sound, for the projects to take-off, both political, economic and financial muscles will have to be leveraged and brought together to make them happen.

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Two Refineries to be built in Plateau, as IPMAN partners two British firms