Markets

Report: Nigeria’s Fiscal Terms among Five Most Unfavourable Regimes

Published

7 years ago

August 29, 2017

Report: Nigeria’s Fiscal Terms among Five Most Unfavourable Regimes

Nigeria’s fiscal system in the oil and gas industry is one of the five fiscal regimes with the highest Effective Royalty Rate (ERR), along with Indonesia’s Production Sharing Contract (PSC), China’s PSC, Kazakhastan and the area of the United Sates where royalty is payable to land owners on negotiated rates and on federal and state lands on regulated rates, a new study by Wood Mackenzie has revealed.

The report further indicates that Nigeria is also among the 12 oil producing countries where the fiscal system is targeted on revenues, rather than profits.

The other 11 countries include: Russia, Indonesia, Egypt, Venezuela, Iraq, Kazakhastan, Angola, China, Canada, Brazil and the oil-producing area of Alaska in the United States.

According to the report, while the fiscal system in the United Kingdom, Norway and offshore Australia is targeted purely on profits, Nigeria’s fiscal system and those of the 12 other countries are based on revenues.

“Fiscal terms are a key differentiator in companies’ strategic positioning geographically and in investment decisions. While prospectivity is invariably the number one driver for investment decisions, the potential value of discoveries is heavily influenced by the fiscal regime. And with capital scarce, the level and form of the government’s share of project value comes to the fore. Terms must be competitive if the government is to have any success in attracting new investment,” the report said.

The report noted that the global upstream investment is at low ebb with conventional projects being challenged by low oil prices, high costs and weak economics.

With these challenges, Wood Mackenzie argued that finances are stretched with only a limited capital available for growth investment.

“Companies are preserving capital and high grading opportunities as they work to reduce break evens on new projects. Only the lowest cost and highest return investments, whether short or long term, will get the green light in this environment. And nervous investors are looking for projects that will recover their costs quickly,” the report added.

“But generating profits at current prices is not simply down to a company’s ability to keep costs below current prices. Governments have a role to play too. If the fiscal system is targeted on revenues, rather than profits then, for the investor, a $50 per barrel price could mean as little as $25 per barrel is available to cover costs and make a return on investment,” the report added.

“One of the first challenges for a government wanting to establish if its terms are competitive or not, is to identify who its competitors are. What is the peer group of opportunities that investors will be considering for investment as well as the blocks in your round? And this could be very different, depending on the investor, who may be focused on: a region, and compare opportunities only with those on offer in neighbouring countries; maturity of basin, focusing on frontier, emerging or mature basin opportunities; specific types of investment, for example, gas or deepwater opportunities; all global opportunities equally,” the report explained.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Energy

How Nigeria’s National Power Grid Collapsed Ten Times Within 9 Months

Published

1 hour ago

November 5, 2024

Ugwoke Ogbodo

The national power grid has again collapsed, leaving many Nigerians in total darkness.

Investors King can authoritatively report that this is the tenth time the power grid will be disrupted this year alone.

For this recent collapse, the grid, reportedly lost power generation around 1:39 pm on Tuesday.

Information revealed that power generation was 2,711 megawatts as of 1:00 pm, having previously peaked at 3,631 MW.

Earlier, power generation peaked at 3,934.77 MW around six o’clock in the morning.

However, between 2 pm and 3 pm, hourly generation dropped to 0.00 MW.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria confirmed that the national grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 1:52 pm on Tuesday, 5th November 2024.

TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah mentioned that the recent collapse was due to a series of line and generator trippings that caused instability in the grid and, consequently, the partial disturbance of the system.

Mbah pointed out that data from the National Control Centre revealed that a part of the grid was not affected by the bulk power disruption.

TCN however indicated that work work is in progress to restore power.

She explained that engineers are already working to quickly restore bulk power supply to the states affected by the “partial disturbance.”

Mbah noted that presently, bulk power supply has been restored to Abuja at 2:49 pm, maintaining that “we are gradually restoring it to other parts of the country.”

She apologized to Nigerians for whatever inconvenience the collapse might have caused.

Findings by Investors King revealed that the grid had collapsed at ten different times between March and November, this year.

Times the grid collapsed included February 4, March 28, April 15, July 16, two times in August 5, October 14, October 15, twice in October 19 and now today, November 5.

Energy

Darkness Falls Again: TCN Explains Latest National Grid Collapse

Published

1 hour ago

November 5, 2024

Bassey Marshall

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has provided an explanation for the latest National Grid collapse, which occurred on Tuesday, November 5.

Tuesday’s collapse, marking the 10th in 2024 alone, left Nigerians in total darkness.

Recall that the National Grid collapsed twice in October, sparking concerns among Nigerians.

Reacting to the latest collapse via a statement on Tuesday, the General Manager of TCN Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed that the collapse happened at 1:52 pm.

The GM revealed that the grid collapse was caused by line and generator trippings.

Mrs. Mbah said, “TCN states that the national grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 1:52 pm today, 5th November 2024.

“This followed a series of line and generator trippings that caused instability in the grid and, consequently, the partial disturbance of the system.

Data from the National Control Centre (NCC) revealed that a part of the grid was not affected by the bulk power disruption.

Mbah disclosed that operators are working to restore power in affected states, adding that power was restored in Abuja.

She explained, “TCN engineers are already working to quickly restore bulk power supply to the states affected by the partial disturbance. Presently, bulk power supply has been restored to Abuja at 2:49 pm, and we are gradually restoring power to other parts of the country.”

Apologizing to Nigerians, TCN said, “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our electricity customers.”

Investors King, in an earlier report, revealed that in an attempt to address the persistent collapse of the national grid, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced that discussions were underway with Independent Operators to take over the management of the grid.

Energy

Nigeria Partners with ECOWAS and Morocco to Launch $26B African Gas Pipeline

Published

9 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Bassey Marshall

The Nigerian government, in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Morocco, and Mauritania, has announced plans to advance the $26 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project to drive economic growth across Africa.

This development was revealed on Monday, November 5, by Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), at the ECOWAS Inter-Ministerial Meeting on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.

Speaking at the meeting, which was attended by ECOWAS Ministers of Hydrocarbons and Energy as well as representatives from Morocco and Mauritania, Kyari stated that, once completed, the project will connect 13 African countries.

Represented by Olalekan Ogunleye, NNPC’s Executive Vice President for Gas Power & New Energy, Kyari said this will be Africa’s largest pipeline project.

Ogunleye confirmed that progress has been made with the front-end engineering design completed, the phase two study finalized, and work ongoing for environmental and social impact assessments as well as land acquisition and resettlement.

He emphasized NNPC’s readiness to execute the project: “Today, we come together to make significant progress in the African Atlantic gas pipeline project, which is a transformative initiative connecting at least 13 African nations in shared prosperity and development. These achievements underscore our capability to deliver this landmark project, supported by strong regional collaboration.”

Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), described the project as a game-changer for the regional economy, stating, “We stand at a critical juncture where these agreements can reshape our energy landscape, strengthen our economies, and uplift our people.”

He also highlighted that the project will increase Africa’s presence in the global gas market, noting that “the agreements demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing hydrocarbon and energy trade across ECOWAS, enhancing access to natural gas in West Africa, and expanding Africa’s global footprint in the gas market.”