The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said the Federal Government will renegotiate the country’s production quota in the ongoing OPEC+ cuts by November.
The Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, during a live
interview with Bloomberg, said the country was working towards ramping up crude
oil production by about 200, 000 to 300, 000 barrels per day, latest by
October, after which it would push for an increased quota at the next OPEC+
meeting in November.
Kyari said, “OPEC understands that it is not that Nigeria
does not have what it takes to produce more crude, but the challenge has been
in terms of security, and everything we are doing to combat insecurity in the
Niger Delta is working.
“OPEC has now given us (Nigeria) a target to increase
production between now and October, and that figure is going to be worked with.
“I think it is very practical to get to between 1.5/1.6 by
October.”
Nigeria’s crude oil production, including condensates, was
around 1.3 million barrels per day, according to Kyari.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and
its non-OPEC partner, Russia- also known as the OPEC+ are currently cutting oil
exports to boost prices.
The NNPCL boss said the current production is “Nowhere near
Nigeria’s capacity. “We have a clear case when during the COVID, we had
capacity to do close to 2.1mb/d. So we know we have the capacity.”
“The issues are around the pipeline, and once we are able to
resolve the challenges, then, we can produce higher.”
OPEC+ had reduced Nigeria’s quota from 1.742mb/d to about
1.38mb/d in early June due to low production. Kyari said FG was confident it
would get an increased quota by November.
He said, “We are more confident to get a new quota than we
have at the moment. The country’s target is at the very least, 2mb/d, and when
you add that to the condensate production, you would get a higher number, and
of course that would also meet the expectation of the country.”