NNPC, partners resolve Addax dispute on 4 oil wells

The protracted dispute on Oil Mining Licence (OMLs) 123/124, 126/137, operated by Addax Petroleum Nigeria Limited, has finally been resolved, paving the way for much-needed investment and growth of the oil blocks.

China’s Sinopec Group owns Addax with the four OML which it operates in a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the NNPC Limited. The wells are said to have a 22,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity. 

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A statement by the NNPC spokesman, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad, on Wedensady, said the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for the blocks was initially signed in 1973 between NNPC and Ashland and terminated after 25 years. Subsequently, NNPC signed another PSC with Addax in 1998 on the blocks and operated through Addax Petroleum for another 24yrs.

In 2021, issues around the revocation of the licences were reconsidered and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) advised that the assets be returned to the concessionaires (NNPC Limited) to ensure clean and amicable exit for Addax.

On January 25, 2022, NNPC Limited commenced formal engagements with Addax and NUPRC; followed by a series of meetings to ensure a swift close-out of the exit discussions and formalities. These discussions eventually paved the way for the preparation and signing of a Transfer, Settlement and Exit Agreement (TSEA).

In his remarks at the close-out and signing ceremony, the NNPC GCEO, Mele Kolo Kyari, charged the Transition Management Team to hit the ground running towards restoration and fulfillment of the promise of the assets. He promised that readjustment will be swift and efficient, in order to extract optimum value from the assets, and to deliver maximum value to shareholders.