Latest news with #NigerianUpstreamPetroleumRegulatoryCommission
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria Issues Upstream Executive Order, Prioritizing High Returns for Oil & Gas Operators
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed an executive order designed to lower costs and enhance revenue from oil and gas projects. The Upstream Petroleum Operations Cost Efficiency Incentives Order (2025) introduces performance-based tax incentives for upstream operators and is expected to play an instrumental role in attracting investment, driving development and unlocking greater value from the country's oil and gas resources. As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) commends the Nigerian government's continued commitment to not only improving the operating climate for oil and gas firms, but strengthening the competitiveness of doing business in Nigeria. The Upstream Petroleum Operations Cost Efficiency Incentives Order (2025) is an intentional strategy to transform the country, and with this reform, Nigeria is well-positioned to attract fresh investment across its upstream oil and gas sector – reaffirming the country's position as one of Africa's top producers. The Upstream Petroleum Operations Cost Efficiency Incentives Order (2025) will feature incentives for operators who deliver verifiable cost savings that meet defined industry benchmarks. The country's upstream regulator the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission will publish the requisite benchmarks on an annual basis and according to asset type. Benchmarks will cover a variety of assets including onshore, shallow-water and deep-water. In addition, the executive order will cap available tax credits at 20% of a company's annual tax liability, thereby protecting the government's revenues as well as fiscal competitiveness. Nigeria's Special Advisor to President Tinubu on Energy Olu Verheijen will spearhead inter-agency coordination, ensuring operators maximize the opportunities presented through the executive order. The executive order could not come at a better time for Nigeria. Targeting two million barrels per day (bpd) in oil production and 12 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) in gas production – up from the current 7.3 bscf/d – Nigeria requires significant levels of investment in both active fields and exploration blocks. While the country has long-faced investment decline owing to a variety of factors – including regulatory uncertainty and shifts in global spending – recent reforms promise to turn this trend around. The Upstream Petroleum Operations Cost Efficiency Incentives Order (2025) follows the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, which sought to address industry challenges by providing a comprehensive framework for the country's oil and gas landscape. With both policies, Nigeria is expected to accelerate investment in exploration and production. The impact of the PIA has already been felt across the country, with energy companies – from majors to independents to the national oil company (NOC – making sizable investments. Renaissance Africa Energy – a consortium of independents – is planning $15 billion in spending across 32 oil and projects; ExxonMobil is investing $1.5 billion to revitalize the Usan deepwater oilfield at OML 138; while TotalEnergies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company is investing $550 million in a non-association gas project. ExxonMobil's Usan field plans to make a final investment decision Q3, 2025. In 2024, the country secured $6.7 billion in investments, with $5.5 billion of this directed towards oil and gas asset acquisitions. Looking ahead, both the PIA (2021) and Upstream Petroleum Operations Cost Efficiency Incentives Order (2025) are expected to entice greater spending across the market, providing operators with strong fiscals that prioritize high returns. By 2029, Nigeria seeks to unlock $30 billion in oil and $5 billion in gas investments, and the policies are anticipated to serve as a driving force behind this goal. 'This recent executive order is a testament to Nigeria's commitment to strengthening its regulatory landscape, improving fiscals and supporting revenue generation across the oil and gas industry. The order is expected to play a significant role in attracting new investment into the country at a time when national production goals require greater capital and technology injection. The Upstream Petroleum Operations Cost Efficiency Incentives Order (2025) positions the country as a globally competitive hydrocarbon market,' states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nigeria introduces oil tax relief for cost savings
Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu has signed an executive order designed to reduce costs and increase revenue from oil and gas projects. The new upstream petroleum operations cost efficiency incentives order, 2025, offers tax relief to companies demonstrating cost-cutting measures in their operations. The executive order aims to encourage cost reduction, stimulate investment and enhance revenue returns in Nigeria's oil and gas industry. President Tinubu described the initiative as a decisive step to foster efficiency and renew investor trust in the sector. The incentives are structured to reward operators that achieve cost savings against industry benchmarks established by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The benchmarks, which will be adjusted annually, will differ depending on operational terrain including onshore, shallow water and deep offshore locations. Operators who meet or surpass these benchmarks can retain up to 50% of the additional government revenue derived from their cost-efficiency efforts. However, to protect public finances, the tax credits offered will be limited to 20% of a company's yearly tax obligation. Tinubu stated: 'This is not about charity, it is about value. Nigeria must attract investment based on a credible promise of returns. This Order signals to the world that our oil and gas sector is being reformed to become efficient, competitive and beneficial to all Nigerians. Every barrel must count, for jobs, growth and our national future.' To ensure smooth and effective implementation, the president has tasked his Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, with overseeing inter-agency coordination and driving alignment across key government institutions. Verheijen added: 'This reform is not just about slashing costs. It is a strategic effort to make Nigeria's upstream sector globally competitive and fiscally resilient. By incentivising efficiency, we are boosting investor confidence and ensuring greater value for the Nigerian people.' Senan Murray, from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, stated that this executive order builds upon earlier reforms from 2024. These reforms improved fiscal conditions, expedited project timelines and harmonised local content demands with global standards, laying the groundwork for the current incentives. "Nigeria introduces oil tax relief for cost savings" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
TimesLIVE
07-05-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
ExxonMobil plans $1.5bn investment in Nigerian deepwater oilfield
Energy giant ExxonMobil is set to inject $1.5bn (R27.43bn) into the development of its deepwater operations in Nigeria, the country's oil regulator said on Wednesday. The planned capital deployment, spanning from the second quarter of 2025 to 2027, will primarily focus on revitalising production at the Usan deepwater oilfield, located on the key offshore block OML 138 in the eastern Niger Delta, approximately 70km offshore. The Usan field, discovered in 2002 and granted development approval in 2008, commenced production in 2012 and currently comprises around 34 subsea production and injection wells connected to eight subsea manifolds. ExxonMobil anticipates reaching a final investment decision (FID) on the Usan project in late Q3 2025. This decision is contingent upon the approval of the Field Development Plan and the securing of necessary internal and partner funding. During a meeting on Tuesday with Gbenga Komolafe, head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), ExxonMobil's managing director in Nigeria, Shane Harris, said this $1.5bn commitment is in addition to other planned investments aimed at developing further deepwater assets, including the Owowo and Erha fields. Komolafe welcomed the significant investment, noting that it aligns with the NUPRC's ambition to boost Nigeria's crude oil production to 2.4-million barrels per day by next year under its "Project 1-Million Barrels" initiative.
