Economy

US, FG Back 20,000bpd Oil Refinery in Lagos

Published

7 years ago

August 13, 2017

US, FG Back 20,000bpd Oil Refinery in Lagos

The construction of a 20,000-barrels-per-day crude oil refinery in Lagos by a Nigerian petrochemical and refining company has received a major boost with the signing of a grant by the United States Trade and Development Agency.

Similarly, the Federal Government has pledged to provide the necessary support to the company towards the completion of the project aimed at ramping up the nation’s oil refining capacity.

The USTDA on Friday signed the grant with Eko Petrochem and Refining Company Limited for a feasibility study supporting technologies and development of an implementation plan for the modular refinery on Tomaro Island in Lagos.

Eko Petrochem and Refining Company said it had selected Texas-based VFuels, LLC to carry out the study, which would provide technical analyses and engineering and design needed to advance the refinery.

“We are proud to support this new project, which will lead to infrastructure development and economic growth in Nigeria. This project represents an excellent opportunity for the US businesses to export technologies and services in support of Nigeria’s refining goals,” the USTDA’s Acting Director, Mr. Thomas Hardy, said at the signing ceremony in Lagos.

The Chairman, Eko Petrochem and Refining Company, Mr. Emmanuel Iheanacho, said the US government, acting through the USTDA, had accelerated the process of the company’s planned economic investment through the industrial development grant of $797,343.

“We appreciate the USTDA supporting our company’s infrastructure development plans. The funds received will help ensure the timely completion of the proposed development and the attainment of the underlying economic and social impact envisaged,” he said.

Iheanacho said several studies, including the front-end engineering design as well as the environmental impact assessment, had been completed, adding that about $250m would be required to complete the refinery.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who commended the commitment of Iheanacho to the refinery project, said financing was one of the major challenges facing most of those that had been licensed to build refineries in the country.

He said, “We all know it is very difficult to raise funds and, therefore, when you hear that the USTDA is extending its hands of fellowship and support to provide the initial seed funding required to go beyond the detailed engineering design, that also shows that behind him (the visionary of this project) there is a partner that is likely to support and provide the financing required to establish the refinery.

“For him to be able to bring down to this island the US ambassador is another demonstration of the commitment and determination to do whatever is necessary to see this project come on stream.

Kachikwu, who was represented by the Executive Director/Coordinator, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Refinery, Downstream and Infrastructural Development, Mr. Rabiu Suleiman, promised to provide all the necessary support required by the company to make the refinery a reality.

He said he was working hard to see how the company could be granted a pioneer status and secure various duty waivers, import facilitation of equipment and engineering review.

The minister urged the company to take the host communities along in order to create a harmonious relationship with them.

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, while commending Iheanacho for the commitment to the project, said, “He is investing at a time with the government that believes profoundly in the power of the individual citizens and entrepreneurs, and he is doing it at a time with a government that believes Nigeria can do what can be done anywhere in the world.”

The Managing Director, VFuels, Mr. Souheil Abboud, said the company was proud to partner the USTDA to further develop the refinery, adding, “We believe very strongly in our commitment to serving the Nigerian people and are enthusiastic that the USTDA shares the same vision and commitment.”

He said the refinery would be a model for those looking to improve Nigeria’s local refining capacity and would contribute to the growing demand for fuels and electricity.

The USTDA helps companies to create the US jobs through the export of the US goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies.

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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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Economy

Fed Slashes Interest Rates by 0.5% to Steady Job Market and Inflation

Published

2 days ago

September 18, 2024

Samed Olukoya

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday enacted its first interest rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic, slicing half a percentage point off benchmark rates in an effort to head off a slowdown in the labor market.

With both the jobs picture and inflation softening, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee chose to lower its key overnight borrowing rate by a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, affirming market expectations that had recently shifted from an outlook for a cut half that size.

Outside of the emergency rate reductions during Covid, the last time the FOMC cut by half a point was in 2008 during the global financial crisis.

The decision lowers the federal funds rate to a range between 4.75%-5%. While the rate sets short-term borrowing costs for banks, it spills over into multiple consumer products such as mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

In addition to this reduction, the committee indicated through its “dot plot” the equivalent of 50 more basis points of cuts by the end of the year, close to market pricing. The matrix of individual officials’ expectations pointed to another full percentage point in cuts by the end of 2025 and a half point in 2026. In all, the dot plot shows the benchmark rate coming down about 2 percentage points beyond Wednesday’s move.

“The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance,” the post-meeting statement said.

The decision to ease came “in light of progress on inflation and the balance of risks.” Notably, the FOMC vote was 11-1, with Governor Michelle Bowman preferring a quarter-point move. Bowman’s dissent was the first by a Fed governor since 2005, though a number of regional presidents have cast “no” votes during the period.

“We’re trying to achieve a situation where we restore price stability without the kind of painful increase in unemployment that has come sometimes with this inflation. That’s what we’re trying to do, and I think you could take today’s action as a sign of our strong commitment to achieve that goal,” Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference following the decision.

Trading was volatile after the decision with the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumping as much as 375 points after it was released, before easing somewhat as investors digested the news and considered what it suggests about the state of the economy.

Stocks ended slightly lower on the day while Treasury yields bounced higher.

“This is not the beginning of a series of 50 basis point cuts. The market was thinking to itself, if you go 50, another 50 has a high likelihood. But I think [Powell] really dashed that idea to some extent,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income. “It’s not that he thinks that’s not going to happen, it’s that he’s not he’s not pre-committing to that to happen. That is the right call.”

The committee noted that “job gains have slowed and the unemployment rate has moved up but remains low.” FOMC officials raised their expected unemployment rate this year to 4.4%, from the 4% projection at the last update in June, and lowered the inflation outlook to 2.3% from 2.6% previous. On core inflation, the committee took down its projection to 2.6%, a 0.2 percentage point reduction from June.

The committee expects the long-run neutral rate to be around 2.9%, a level that has drifted higher as the Fed has struggled to get inflation down to 2%.

The decision comes despite most economic indicators looking fairly solid.

Gross domestic product has been rising steadily, and the Atlanta Fed is tracking 3% growth in the third quarter based on continuing strength in consumer spending. Moreover, the Fed chose to cut even though most gauges indicate inflation well ahead of the central bank’s 2% target. The Fed’s preferred measure shows inflation running around 2.5%, well below its peak but still higher than policymakers would like.

However, Powell and other policymakers in recent days have expressed concern about the labor market. While layoffs have shown little sign of rebounding, hiring has slowed significantly. In fact, the last time the monthly hiring rate was this low – 3.5% as a share of the labor force – the unemployment rate was above 6%.

At his news conference following the July meeting, Powell remarked that a 50 basis point cut was “not something we’re thinking about right now.”

For the moment, at least, the move helps settle a contentious debate over how forceful the Fed should have been with the initial move.

Economy

Condemnations Trail Dangote-NNPCL Fuel Price Deal As Petroleum Crisis Persists

Published

2 days ago

September 18, 2024

Ugwoke Ogbodo

There is widespread condemnation over the fuel price deal by the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

This is coming as some Nigerians have said that their hope of easing sigh of relief following the sector’s deregulation appeared to have been dashed as the price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly known as petrol has continued to hit the roof.

For the Minority caucus of the House of Representatives, the N980 per litre of pump price as agreed by NNPCL and Dangote Refinery is outrageous and exploitative.

Chairman of the caucus, Kingsley Chinda, said the development was a burden added to the already struggling Nigerians.

In a statement that he signed, the lawmaker expressed his outrage over the pump price that varies from N950 to N980 and above N1000 per litre depending on the parts of the country.

The statement said, “We find this pricing regime to be not only burdensome but utterly unacceptable, particularly in light of the fact that this fuel is refined locally.”

The lawmaker emphasised that locally refined fuel should be priced significantly lower than imported fuel, as it avoids costs such as landing charges and import duties, insisting that the pricing model was wrong for all intents and purposes.

“It appears Nigerians are unfairly exploited, especially at a time when many are facing severe economic challenges,” he said, urging NNPCL and Dangote Refinery to reconsider their stand in the interest of the poor masses.

The statement warned that allowing the current pricing arrangement to continue would only deepen the economic hardships of millions and erode trust in local refineries’ ability to deliver affordable fuel.

The caucus called on regulatory bodies and the government to urgently review the pricing framework to ensure Nigerians are not subjected to unsustainable fuel prices.

Also reacting, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Femi Falana, condemned NNPCL for its role in setting the price of petrol, asserting that the actions of state oil companies are illegal and violate the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

In a statement, Falana cited Section 205 of the PIA, emphasising that the law requires petroleum prices to be determined by free market forces, not by the NNPCL.

He argued that the company’s involvement in price-setting contradicts the very deregulation process outlined in the law.

Economy

Ubeta Project to Produce 350 Million Standard Cubic Feet of Gas Per Day Once Operational – FG

Published

3 days ago

September 18, 2024

Ugwoke Ogbodo

The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that once the Ubeta gas field is fully operational, it will produce 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

With this dream realised, the Federal Government said the anticipated achievement would enhance energy security, attract investments, and strengthen collaboration with key partners.

This was made known by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, at the inaugural US-Nigeria Strategic Energy Dialogue, hosted by the US State Department in Washington, DC.

Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, in partnership with French energy giant TotalEnergies, had in July planned to invest a significant $550 million to develop gas facilities in oil-rich Rivers State.

Verheijen had announced the kickoff of a $550 million upstream gas project between Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (NNPCL) and TotalEnergies for the development of the Ubeta field.

At a luncheon during the dialogue, Verheijen mentioned that the upstream gas project would produce 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day once operational.

A statement from Morenike Adewunmi, Stakeholder Manager, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, quoted Ms. Verheijen as informing the gathering that President Bola Tinubu’s major energy reforms since June 2023 have been aimed at enhancing energy security, attracting investments, and strengthening collaboration with key partners, including the US government.

According to her, the reforms have significantly improved the viability of Nigeria’s gas-to-power value chain.

She explained that in support of the reform efforts, the President issued five new executive orders designed to offer fiscal incentives for investment and reduce the cost and time required to finalize and implement contracts for developing and expanding gas infrastructure.

Verheijen said that the directives aim to immediately unlock up to $2.5 billion in new oil and gas investments in the country.

She acknowledged the valuable support of financing and technical partners, including the US government, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank, in efforts to expand electricity access and reliability through both grid and off-grid solutions.