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Nigeria invites bids for 12 new oil blocks, promises fair procedure

Nigeria is inviting bids from global financiers with financial and technical capacity for 12 onshore and deepwater oil blocks, its oil regulator said in a speech yesterday at a global oil conference in Houston, Texas.

Africa's greatest oil manufacturer opened this year's licensing round on April 29 looking for to deepen exploitation of the nation's estimated 37.5 billion barrels of petroleum and 209.26 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.

Nigeria is committed to conducting the licensing round in a. reasonable, competitive and transparent manner and ensuring a level. playing field for both international and indigenous financiers,. said Gbenga Komolafe, head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum. Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Some investors have actually balked at participating in previous quotes. due to a lack of openness in the award process leading to. business without capacity to drill winning oil fields. This. eventually resulted in threats to cancel the awards.

Komolafe said in addition to these blocks, the 7 deep. offshore blocks from the 2022 mini-bid round workout shall also. be concluded along with this licensing round.

This will bring an overall of 19 oil obstructs provided to. financiers in 2024.

Apart from commercial and technical ability, the regulator. stated it would focus on how the bidders plan to align. with the country's net-zero carbon emissions targets, remove. gas flares and avoid polluting rivers and farmlands.

Nigeria, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum. Exporting Countries (OPEC) has actually seen its oil production decrease. from around 2 million barrels a years earlier to simply over 1.3. million barrels per day.

Oil majors are leaving onshore fields vulnerable to mess up and. frequent claims to payment for spills to focus on deepwater. fields where disruptions are less common.

(source: Reuters)