DPR hands over Marginal Oil blocks’ licenses to winners

Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has given itself a thumb up while adducing reasons why the process of marginal oil field licences lasted for one year before winners emerged and how the over 500 applicants could not make it to the end.

Finally, Nigeria has awarded marginal oil field licences to winners (indigenous oil firms) after concluding the bid round process exactly one year after the kick off.

The full names of winners include: A.A. Rano, Shafa Exploration, Matrix Energy and Vhelblerg Exploration, Sigmund Oil Field, Emadeb Energy, Casiva Ltd, Duchess Energy and Duport Midstream.

The 2020 marginal field bid round kicked off with 591 companies applying to win 57 oil fields on offer. This latest hand over event showed that over 500 firms must have been disqualified.

The oil fields are located onshore, swamps and offshore.

Speaking at the award ceremony on Monday in Abuja, the Director/CEO, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Engr. Auwalu Sarki, said the fields would boost Nigeria’s daily oil production capacity beyond the current three million barrels per day.

Sarki, said that it was also estimated that Nigeria would produce an additional 100 million barrels of crude oil from the 57 fields, in the coming years.

According to him, the 161 companies shortlisted as potential awardees, out of which 50 per cent have met all conditions, had undergone a lengthy and vigorous process.

He announced that DPR would not abandon the companies after the award, but work with them in order to ensure immediate development and attainment of first oil in record time.

Director/CEO, DPR said: “The journey began exactly one year ago, June 1, 2020 with the launch of the bid round registration portal. The portal eased the registration and application process and ensured a transparent exercise.

“It also provided the platform for the virtual data room. It is important to state that the industry-enabled National Data Repository (NDR) provided all the requisite technical and logistics support for the successful conduct of the exercise.”