An indigenous oil and gas firm, the Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited with its Joint Venture ( JV) partners, Suntrust and others, have commissioned four multi-million dollars facilities in Umusadege, Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, thereby increasing the oil process capacity in the area, from 25,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd).
By the project, they have also stepped up gas process capacity from 15 to 25 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf) and its storage capacity from 29,000 to 110,000 bopd facilities.
This is even as they acquired two compressors that would deliver 6.5mmscf of gas each, which were among the multi-million dollars project.
Speaking to journalists in Asaba, shortly after the commissioning at the weekend, the GMD emeritus, Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited, Operator of OML 56, Charles Odita, said that despite the daunting challenges posed by regulatory agency restrictions and the capitalintensive nature of the project, they overcame with focus on the new projects, aimed at optimizing hydrocarbon recovery with low cost.
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He noted that while major challenges arose from regulatory agency restrictions and the capitalintensive nature of the project, diligent management resources and cooperation of the partners were able to surmount all obstacles and come up with the resultant investment.
He described the commissioning as a memorable event and glorious day in the history of oil and gas in Nigeria considering that abandonment of such projects in the oil and gas industry is not unusual. So, we are indeed proud of this remarkable achievement”, he expressed.
Odita, an engineer, further described the value of the 3- fold increment in the gas processing, oil processing and storage as immense, saying that by adding the two compressors that would deliver 6.5 mmscf of gas, they have set a course for a bright future for the firm and the JV partners.
We have also positioned our host communities for industrial excellence, and this is due to the cordial support they have granted us from the onset of our operations in their communities, he averred.
“On a personal note, I am grateful to God because no sooner had I joined the company as managing director, the price of crude oil plummeted from $150 to $29 dollars per barrel. So, most of the time that I was managing director, we grappled with low oil prices and limited resources. In spite of all that, we were able to apply resources judiciously to the current success of the company”, he recalled.
Expressing elation, Midwestern Asset Manager, Adeche Omotosho-oboro confirmed, “the projects were completed with zero incident or accident despite the project going on simultaneously with oil activities and heavy equipment being installed with millions of man-hours, yet no casualty of any kind! That is why we must thank God.”
The company is the operator of Umusadege field located in OML 56 in the state, and also owns OML 18.
It has interests in Umugini Pipeline Infrastructure Limited (UPIL), the pipeline company which constructed the 51.4km pipeline from Umusadege to Eriemu for injecting crude into the Trans- Forcados Pipeline.
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