Petroleum Explorations Harp on Proper Metering, Accounting

BY Ejiofor Alike

Petroleum geologists and geophysicists under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has stressed the need for stakeholders to deal with the current concerns on the accuracy of the reported volume of oil and gas produced in the country.

Speaking to journalists on the forthcoming special management workshop, which will focus on "Fluid Accounting and Metering Issues in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry,” the President of NAPE, Mrs. Adedoja Ojelabi, stated that the theme chosen for the workshop is “especially relevant in the light of recent public discourse on the concerns on accuracy of reported production volumes due to pipeline sabotage, and other causes as well as questions regarding the efficacy of the metering system in our industry; including the nation’s hydrocarbon production reporting process and stewardship.”

Ojelabi noted that coupled with this complex operations interplay is a potentially emerging concern on the fiscalisation model of the country’s hydrocarbon production."

According to her, the one-day event will host speakers and a panel of discussants, who are high level industry practitioners, key personnel in government and several local and international experts on hydrocarbon metering technology to offer their insights into global metering standards, issues and challenges.

She listed other sub-themes for the event, which will be held in Lagos to include, current practices in oil and gas production measurement in the Nigerian oil and gas industry; global perspectives and recent advances in oil and gas accounting/ metering technology and implication for the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

Other sub-themes include; challenges and prospects of effective oil and gas production accounting and metering in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, as well as current practices and standards for oil and gas production accounting and reporting in the Nigerian Oil and gas industry.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Organising Committee Chairman of the special management workshop, Mr. Goodluck Adagbasa, said the committee had put together an event that would provide a veritable platform for the distillation of ideas.

According to him, these will offer deep insights into global metering standards and technologies and how it can be applied in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

The Federal government’s goal of reaching 40 billion barrels reserves and four million barrels per day production by 2010 is yet to be realised even as the oil and gas industry in Nigeria is in the throes of declining reserves and production owing to reduced exploration.

At the same time the issues and challenges of oil and gas production accounting and questions regarding metering in the Nigerian oil and gas industry has become topical in the face of incessant pipeline vandalism and production curtailment.

NAPE plans to use the workshop to examine the effectiveness in the existing policies to drive growth in the oil and gas industry as well as the development of road maps and new policy initiatives on oil and gas production accounting and metering in the Nigerian oil and gas landscape.