JUST-IN: 2020 Marginal Field Awardees To Get Licenses Tuesday

In fulfillment of the promise made early this year, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) will on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in Abuja, issue Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPL) to successful awardees of Marginal Fields in the 2020 Bid Round, pursuant to the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.

Chief executive of the Commission, Gbenga Komolafe made this known in a statement today.

Komolafe said NUPRC will also unveil the Implementation Template for the Host Communities Development Trust for commencement of the provisions under Section 235 of the PIA, 2021, to positively impact against restiveness in the host communities; and in the process guarantee seamless operations, boost investors’ confidence and provide enabling environment for sustainable development of the country’s hydrocarbon resources.

“These will mark the conclusion of some of the most urgent and critical tasks inherited by the Commission when it was inaugurated in October 2021, after the signing into law of the PIA 2021,” he said.

Recall that the Commission had in March this year informed all participants in the 2020 marginal field bid round programme that it has put all necessary machinery in place to progress the bid round exercise to conclusion in line with the PIA 2021.

The NUPRC boss said in furtherance of that resolution, the Commission constituted an in-house work team to distill and address the concerns of awardees with a view to
close out issues affecting multiple awardees per asset and formation of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) by awardees in line with the respective letters of award.

“Awardees were therefore enjoined to avail themselves of the resolution mechanism provided by the Commission in the overriding national interest.”

Komolafe said the successful coordination and resolution of the issues culminated in the emergence of the successful awardees that would be handed over licences on Tuesday.