By Adedapo Adesanya
The Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited (ERPC) has placed an order for 200,000 barrels of crude from Oza Oil Field operated by Decklar Resources Inc and Millenium Oil and Gas Company.
This was disclosed by the governor of the state, Mr Godwin Obaseki, in a statement on Twitter on Monday, May 8.
He said this is part of efforts to transform Edo State into a major investment and industrial haven in the country.
Recall that Edo Refinery was established with the injection of N700 million as redeemable preference shares (investment) from the state government through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese Consortium led by Peiyang Chemical and Equipment Company of China (PCC) and its Nigerian partners, Africa Infrastructure Partners Limited (AIPL).
“The 6,000 barrels per day refinery has been completed and has since commenced operation with its main output being diesel, Naphtha and Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO),” he said.
In 2016, the Vice President, Mr Yemi Osibanjo, embarked on a tour of the region where he met with key stakeholders to deliberate on issues on improving the social-economic well-being of the people of the Niger Delta region, which is in line with the six-point agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and one of the products of that tour was the laying of the refinery.
The project has been projected to help boost the status of Edo, which, alongside Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, Ondo, Imo, Abia and Lagos, are the oil-producing states in the country.
Dipo Olowookere