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China to help Nigeria generate 19,000MW from hydro – FG

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Kainji Dam, Hydro Power Plant intact ― Mainstream

The Federal Government said that electricity generation from hydro sources could reach 19,000 megawatts if fully harnessed.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu said this at the 2018 Seminar on “Construction and Management of Water Conservancy and Hydro-power Projects’’ organized by the Chinese Government in Abuja on Tuesday. Onu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Bitrus Nabasu, said that the seminar would support the Federal Government’s renewable energy master plan and further contribute to the development of the country’s power sector.

Mr Zhao Linxiang, the Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, said that the seminar was the first of its kind to be organized by his government in the country. According to Zhao; “Nigeria has a huge potential in hydropower, the only problem is how to make use of the potential. This seminar will focus on power generation, especially hydro-power generation. Nigeria has many hydro-power stations and China is willing to share the technologies we use to contribute to the hydropower sector.”

Source: Inside Business

Blue Camel Energy boss denies firm’s involvement in solar panels tariff hike

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In the first two months of 2018, the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) imposed between 5% and 10% import duties on solar panels. Never mind contravening a law that originally stipulates zero percent import duties on these same solar panels, this new development threatens the establishment of a major power alternative in Nigeria.

In all this storm, an unconfirmed report fingered a man as the brain behind this new tariff; Suleiman Yusuf, founder and CEO of Kaduna-based Blue Camel Energy was said to have had a hand in the manipulative move just as the firm inaugurated its Blue Camel Renewable Solar Power Assembly Plant and Renewable Energy Training Academy in Kaduna. However, in arecent interview with Techpoint, a leading online publication on the Nigerian technology and start-up scene, he debunked the claim vehemently.

He said; “I really do not have the power to single-handedly do that kind of thing. The government recently increased the import duties on these solar panels by up to 20% and I was surprised and affected as everybody else. They claimed it was to increase local patronage and production but that is a lie. How many solar assemblies and production plants are in Nigeria? They are not enough for this excuse to hold any water, I am most certain that for them this is another mindless revenue generation drive.”

FG to complete Nasarawa dam project, targets 20MW of electricity

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The Federal Government, Wednesday, disclosed moves to complete Farin Ruwa dam project in Nasarawa State, including generation of 20 megawatts of electricity from it when completed.

This was made known by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Musa Ibrahim, during a meeting with a delegation of Nasarawa State Government in his office, led by the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Orthm Akaaka.

According to Musa the project was conceptualized in 2001 with the intention of providing about 20 megawatts of power to Nasarawa State. However, he said the project was stalled due to inadequate funding for its completion by previous administrations.

He said that the dam is part of the listed projects of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources that has been captured in the 2018 Budget, so there was no cause for alarm as funds would be made available for the commencement and completion of the project.

Source: Vanguard

 

Gombe urges FG to fast track Dadin-Kowa hydroelectric project

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FG Adds 60MW Hydropower Plant to National Grid

Gombe State Government on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to fast-track work on the Dadin-Kowa hydroelectric power project, as earlier promised.

Hassan Ahmadu, State Commissioner for Rural Development, made the call in an interview in Gombe. It would be recalled that Chidi Izuwah, Ag Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, had given October 2018 as the completion period when he inspected the project in April.

Ahmadu assured that the completion of the project would reduce hardship faced by the people in the region, especially those who depend on electricity for their survival. According to him, completion of the project will also create employment opportunities and reduce rural-urban migration.

Source: Eagle Online

Global climate goals threatened by dip in renewable energy investments – IEA

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By the end of last year, renewable energy investments declined by its largest amount ever and are likely to keep falling this year. It fell to $298bn in 2017 from $318bn in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency, IEA. This fall threatens global climate goals.

The figures showed that capital spending in renewable energy generation fell by 7% in 2017 compared with the previous year. According to a report from the International Energy Agency, this decline was attributed to a fall in onshore wind and hydropower investment. Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said the declines in clean power and energy efficiency were “worrying” in an interview with the Financial Times.

Following the Paris climate agreement in 2015 more than 170 countries agreed to try limiting global warming to well below 2C, an effort that will require huge investments in low-carbon energy systems. But with global carbon emissions rising again and investment in renewables falling, there are concerns about how the goals of the Paris agreement can be met.

Source: Spark

FG’s N1.02trn power bailout funds fail to impact sector

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The Federal Government has committed the sum of N1.023 trillion in bailouts in the form of low interest loans and grants to Nigeria’s power sector within the last three years yet the country is unable to move the needle on stable power supply.

In 2015, the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provided the sum of N213 billion as Power Sector Market Stabilisation Fund at a concessionary single digit interest rate to distribution company’s (DisCos) and power generating company’s (GenCos). Two years later, the government created a N701 billion payment assurance guarantee through the CBN for the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) to pay for gas supplied to power generation companies (GenCos).

Early this year, the government also said it has taken advantage of the new Meter Asset Provider (MAP) regulation by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), to provide a grant of N37 billion to private sector operators who would provide prepaid meters to interested DisCo customers. Last month, the government again committed to invest N72 billion for the procurement of equipment and installation to help get the 2,000 MW it said the DisCos routinely reject to consumers who need them.

However, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing; Babatunde Fashola in a press briefing on July 9 said; “Regrettably because of the source of funds, conditions such as the opening of Letters of Credit were attached to secure performance of the purpose for which the money was meant; some DisCos have not taken the money and instead have gone to court thereby frustrating full disbursement, and recently the NERC has revealed unauthorized use of the money by Ibadan DISCO and taken some regulatory actions.”

Source: Business Day

Nigeria will never have stable power using main grid – Ex-Power Minister

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A former Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo said in a recent interview that he is convinced that Nigeria cannot get power sufficiency from the national grid alone but can deploy power generation to needed areas using the latest generation machines.

He said; “I have been crying from the first day that I took office as Minister of Power that Nigeria will never, I repeat never have energy or electricity supply sufficiency using the Main Grid. It cannot happen. The reason is very easily obvious – To give every part of Nigeria the transmission infrastructure that would eventually distil to distribution infrastructure needed for every community to get electricity in Nigeria will cost several trillions of naira.”

“They can take electricity to the people where they need it by what you call direct distributed power. You go to a community build a small power plant, use distribution network to do it or embedded generation. You take small engines, small generators or turbines to communities, to institutions – whether it’s agriculture or business cluster or industrial cluster, you measure the power they need and give it to them. If they grow, you increase your capacity incrementally as growth comes.”

“Industries are folding up on a regular basis and we are pointing to government, to make the government look at power generation and distribution from another angle – Embedded generation and distributed power. That is the way to go and then we need to capture renewable energy. Every part of Nigeria is amenable to renewable energy especially solar. Many parts are amenable to wind especially the coastal areas and some high wind velocity areas and a few are amenable to hydro power of different sizes. There are also even miniature hydro power plants that can be built easily with very little problem.”

Source: THIS DAY

NERC can cancel Discos’ licences, force re-capitalisation – Fashola

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The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Monday affirmed that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has enough regulatory options to use against any of the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) that fail to meet up with the federal government’s recent order to them to improve on their services to Nigerians or exit the market.

Fashola said in a Channels Television programme – Sunrise Daily – in Abuja that the NERC was statutorily allowed to amend or revoke the licences of the Discos, as well as force them to recapitalise their funding base to be able to do their jobs.

He explained that any of the options NERC chose to use to get the Discos to be responsive were within its statutory powers and conditions of the agreements the Discos signed with the government during the 2013 power sector privatisation.

The minister however noted that revocation of licences of the Discos should be a last resort for the regulator in this case, adding that with these options, NERC could not be helpless in its enforcement of the Discos’ obligations to the market.

Source: THIS DAY

TCN realigns its regional operations

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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has realigned the regional offices of the Independent System Operator (ISO), which is one of its business units.

This was announced in a memo dated May 10, 2018, signed by the Managing Director/CEO, Mr Usman Gur Mohammed, to all Heads of Divisions and Departments. TCN in the directive noted that the new arrangement involved change of operational nomenclature in Kano, Gombe and Ikeja-West Regions of the ISO.

The directive also stipulates that the Kano Operations Region will now be known as Kaduna Operations Region; the Gombe Operations Region, now Bauchi Operations Region; while the Ikeja West Operations Region is now Lagos Operations Region. The operational headquarters of the renamed operation regions will relocate to their new office locations.

Source: Daily Trust

Nigeria’s unused electricity projected to rise by 2,130MW in 2019

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How Corruption Deprives Africa Uninterrupted Power Supply – CIPE

The total volume of unused electricity from Nigeria’s national grid will rise by 2,130 megawatts (MW), to add to an existing 2000MW idle volumes that power distribution companies (Discos) are unable to take to homes and offices in the country, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has disclosed.

Fashola, who stated this at a media briefing in Abuja, disclosed that between now and 2019, the country’s unused electricity volume will increase to 4,130MW, an equivalent of what the 11 Discos are currently supplied to distribute across the country.

He explained the additional volumes would come from 455MW Azura-Edo plant; 215MW Kaduna plant; 240MW Afam III Fast Power; 40MW Kashimbilla hydro plant in 2018, while in 2019, the 700MW Zungeru hydro plant; and 480MW Okpai II power plant would come on stream to complete the equation. He also stated that the capacity of the country’s transmission network had grown between 2015 and 2017 at an average of 1,062MW.

Source: THIS DAY

Power sector loss rose by 13% in first week of July

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THE nation’s power sector lost a total of N10.7 billion in the first week of July 2018, showing an increase of 13 per cent compared with N9.3 billion recorded in the last week of June 2018.

A report obtained from the office of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, attributed the development to insufficient gas supply as well as poor distribution and transmission infrastructure.

This has consequently affected the supply of electricity to individuals, households and organisations nationwide.

Source: Vanguard

Power, others underpin Transcorp’s profit margins in H1 2018

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The corporation urged members of the public to go about their duties normally as all safety measures had been put in place to avert any danger. It stated that repair work had commenced with a view to restoring gas supply as soon as possible.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc recorded impressive growths in turnover and profitability in the first half with net profit rising by 161 per cent to about N10.9 billion.

Key extracts of the interim report and accounts of Transcorp for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 showed that turnover rose from N34.17 billion in first half 2017 to N54.09 billion in first half 2018. Profit before tax jumped by 163.6 per cent to N11. 94 billion in first half 2018 as against N4.53 billion recorded in comparable period of 2017. After tax, net profit grew by 161.2 per cent from N4.16 billion in 2017 to N10.88 billion in 2018. Earnings per share also leapt from 3.87 kobo in first half 2017 to 11.60 kobo in first half 2018.

Transcorp Plc Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Adim Jibunoh said the conglomerate’s businesses are in good position to sustain growth going forward. “We are confident of improved fundamentals going forward, as we increase our available generation capacity to above 800 megawatts by year-end taking advantage of improving gas situation.” Jibunoh said. Transcorp Power Limited’s Ughelli Power Plant is a gas-fired thermal plant located in Ughelli, Delta State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Source: The Nation

BPE says DISCOs are technically insolvent

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The Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, yesterday, said most of the Distribution Companies, DISCOs, in Nigeria were technically insolvent.

Director-General of the bureau, Alex Okoh, made this revelation during an interactive session at the instance of House Committee on Power, with critical stakeholders in the Nigerian power sector, including Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company, NBET; Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, and Generation Companies, GENCOs.

The D-G in his submission, said there was need to immediately solve the challenges bordering on price structure and liquidity of DISCOs.

Source: Vanguard

EEDC has invested N10bn on meter procurement – Spokesman

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Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) yesterday said it has spent more than N10 billion on the procurement and installation of prepaid meters to its customers as part of efforts to end estimated billings in its area of coverage.

The company also announced that it inherited more than 700,000 unmetered customers when it took over from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

EEDC Head of Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, gave this hint while speaking with journalists in Enugu. He said it had always been the desire of EEDC to meter all its customers.

Eze, who said the power distribution company had procured certified prepaid meters at the cost of more than N10 billion, pointed out that due to lack of adequate funds, they cannot at present provide meters to all their customers.

Source: New Telegraph

YEDC set to begin meter distribution to customers

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The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), says it has concluded arrangement to commence massive deployment of 435,000 meters to it customers to checkmate issues of energy theft in the zone.

The Managing Director, Engr.Mustafa Umara said, the first phase of the project is expected to start with the metering of 8000 customers, mostly in the state capitals of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. He explained that the contract for the supply of the meters, had been signed and delivery would soon start, which comprises single phase, three phases and maximum demand meters for the project.

The development he noted, was sequel to the improved supply, as a result of commissioning of 1×40 MVA 132/33Kv Mayo-Belwa Mobile Transmission Substation in the state. Engr. Mustafa further stated that prior to the commissioning of the sub station, Numan, Mayo-Belwa and Jada areas, has been faced with drop in voltage as the area used to get their supply from the Yola 330kv which he described as a long routed line.

Source: Leadership

Flared gas enough to generate 3GW of electricity – Dada Thomas

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Flared gas in Nigeria is enough to generate between two and three gigawatts (Gw) of electricity. Nigerian Gas Association (NGA)President, Dada Thomas, said this while speaking on natural gas under-utilisation to power the economy.

In a document titled: “Natural gas as a catalyst for Nigeria economic transformation: Technical challenges and opportunities”, Thomas, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Oil Limited, said the country with 192 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) reserves, has the world’s ninth conventional gas reserves. However, Nigeria only ranks about 22nd in terms of gas production and even lower consumption.”

According to Thomas, the domestic gas market has grown over the years, but still only 13 per cent or 1.01 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of total gas production of 7.5Bcf per day is consumed locally, while 43 per cent is exported via liquefied natural gas (LNG) and West African Gas Pipeline, 34 per cent is used for gas injection and 10 per cent flared.

Thomas said the failure to harness gas resources effectively and equitably for the benefits of all Nigerians and investors, is not an option. With a population, which according to World Bank, is growing at three per cent per annum and projected to reach 233 million by 2025, and GDP growth lagging at 2.7 per cent per annum, failure is not an option.

Source: The Nation

NELMCO liabilities hit N544bn in 2017 – CEO

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The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), Adebayo Fagbemi, has said the company’s total inherited liabilities from the privatization of the Nigeria electricity industry stood at N544 billion as at December 2017.

He listed the liabilities as: engineering, successor companies, legacy debts, creditors, power producers and Power Purchase Agreement (IPP’s PPA) liabilities and contingent liabilities. Fagbemi made the disclosure recently in Abuja while playing host to members of the Power Sector Communication Team (PSCT).

He said the company has been able to offset all its liabilities except the 16 months which had to be paid by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). NELMCO was established in 2006 to assume and manage the non-core assets, all liabilities and other obligations that would not be taken over by the successor companies after privatisation.

Source: Daily Trust

OGTAN calls on NNPC, stakeholders’ support for in-country capacity development

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Oge Obi

The Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) has called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as industry players in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to look inwards for their training needs, saying that a situation where oil companies send their personnel to abroad for trainings that are available in-country is injurious to the nation’s economy.
The President of OGTAN, Dr. Mayowa Afe said this on Thursday during the association’s Business Forum in Lagos.  He called on the NNPC and other government agencies to set the pace by discouraging training of personnel outside the country.  Afe who noted that the association was not against overseas training, said, “what we meant is that some training should be done in Nigeria.”
“The country is losing tremendously. Nigerians have to be patriotic. For example, the economy of Dubai and Ghana are being boosted whenever Nigerian companies take trainings available in-country to these countries.
“We kick against government agencies or oil and gas companies going abroad to train Nigerians on what ought to have been done in-country. We should go outside the country to acquire skills that are not in Nigeria.
“We want NNPC to champion the cause so that those training done outside the country could be done here be for the advantage of Nigeria and Nigerians. I repeat OGTAN is not against overseas trainings but there are some that can be done in-country,’’ Afe said.
Speaking further, the OGTAN President called on the Federal Government to pass a legislation mandating all oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria to patronize and make OGTAN members, adding that it should also serve as a pre-requisite for registering and handling contracts in the country in strict compliance with the Nigerian Content Development Act.
The keynote speaker, the Executive General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Total E&P Nigeria, Mr Vincent Nadi, in his speech said that his company has continued make huge investment in human capacity in Nigeria and its host communities. Speaking on a topic titled “Total Capacity Development in Nigeria’’, Nadi noted that Total as a major player in both offshore and onshore oil exploration in Nigeria has consistently focused on human capacity building development.
According to him, Total with over 3,000 employees has invested greatly in its host community’s youths capacity building development and entrepreneuring schemes.
He said that over 42 community youths sponsored to train in Norway. Adding that TOTAL also partner with University of Port Harcourt , University of Science and Technology Abuja and Lagos Business School on 12-months program courses for youths to study masters and post graduate diploma.
“We have also invested in science teachers within our operations centres, while we also invested in over 1000 youths on skill acquisition programmes of various skills
“Over 1.5 million dollars is being invested on youths development annually to study at the Institutes of Petroleum Studies.
“Our priority is ensuring that Nigerian youths are educated and independent,’’ Nadi said.
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Wabote in his remarks called on stakeholders in the industry to collaborate with OGTAN in the development of the human capacity in the country. According to him, “It is not all about the capacity that is not there, if you cannot patronise what is yours, you cannot develop the capacity.”
The ES who was represented by the Director, Planing, Research and Statistics, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Patrick Obah commended OGTAN’s efforts in bridging the gap between academia and the industry. He said, “What OGTAN is doing is good and commendable. All OGTAN needs is further encouragement for them to do all the trainings that it’s required of it.
“We cannot at this time compare ourselves with the kind of training we get maybe in places like MIT and some of those global standard institutions. But, we have training institutions like Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS) in Uniport. Of course, that meets global standards.k
OGTAN has been having different forums and the focus is on training and education in collaboration with the oil and gas industry players. Basically, it is for Nigerians to understand that there are opportunities in these areas they can tap into and that when they are trained, they should come back home and then network with the rest of the community to be able to disseminate the information and new knowledge they have acquired to be able to enrich Nigerians better.”
At the event were two guest speakers and beneficiaries of Total E&P Nigeria Ltd’s different interventions in human capacity building: Prof. Francisca Oladaipo, an associate professor and Head of Department, Computer Science, University of Lokoja and the Manager, Drilling Engineering Department, Total E&P Nigeria Limited, Mr John Okoroafor.

Photo News: Photo News: PETAN Closing Gong Ceremony at the Exchang

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L – R: Wole Ogunsanya, Vice Chairman, PETAN/ CEO – Geoplex; Ranti Omole, Publicity Secretary, PETAN/ Chairman- Radical Circle; Patricia Simon-Hart, Secretary, PETAN/ Founder-AFTRAC Ltd; Tunji Kazeem, Chief Risk Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Bank Anthony Okoroafor, Chairman , PETAN/ CEO-CB Geophysical Solutions Ltd; Emeka Ene, Immediate Past Chairman, PETAN/ CEO- Oildata and Xenergi; Emeka Okwuosa, Member, PETAN/ Chairman- Oilserv and Frazimex Engineering Ltd; during a Closing Gong Ceremony at the Exchange today.

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L – R: Tunji Kazeem, Chief Risk Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) presenting a replica of the closing gong to Bank Anthony Okoroafor, Chairman , Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria(PETAN) & CEO-CB Geophysical Solutions Ltd during a Closing Gong Ceremony at the Exchange today.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA CANCEL WITH CANADIAN CHC HELICOPTERS

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 Malabo, Equatorial Guinea —The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea has mandated all petroleum operators to cancel all contracts with Canadian-based CHC Helicopters, over noncompliance with the country’s national content regulations.

Some of these operators include Noble Energy, Exxon Mobil, Kosmos Energy, Trident, Marathon Oil Corporation and others.

“It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons to ensure strict compliance to our country’s National Content Regulation of the Hydrocarbons Law,” said H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, the Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons. “These laws are in place to protect and promote local industry, create jobs for citizens, promote the sustainable development of our country, and we are aggressively monitoring and enforcing the compliance of these requirements.”

Oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea have been given 60 days to unwind contracts and find new suppliers, with only those companies in compliance with the local content provisions established in 2014 allowed to bid for contracts.

A compliance review of the entire sector is ongoing, led by the Director of National Content and outside legal advisors of the Ministry. The notice will be expanded to all service companies who are non-compliant as the review continues. Similar measures will be taken.

Under the National Content Regulation of 2014, all agreements must have local content clauses and provisions for capacity building, with preference given to local companies in the award of service contracts. Local shareholders must be part of every contract as prescribed by law. The operators have an obligation to ensure compliance of their subcontractors.

“We are eager to work with international companies who partner with Equatorial Guinea in the development of our industry,” said the Minister. “But we expect all companies operating in Equatorial Guinea to follow the laws of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. As Minister, I will not hesitate to enforce the law to ensure compliance”.

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