Kachikwu: Zabazaba Deepwater Project to Proceed Despite Malabu Dispute

Chineme Okafor in Houston, Texas

The federal government, Shell and the Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) will go ahead with the $13.5 billion Zabazaba Deepwater project located in Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245 despite controversies surrounding the oil block, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has said.

Kachikwu stated on Wednesday in Houston Texas, United States, that the project will go on as scheduled by the partners. He added that the protracted dispute on the block with Malabu oil will not affect it.

He said this at a briefing with journalists at the ongoing 2017 edition of the annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). According to him, he will not flag down the project on the back of the dispute because its continuation had nothing to do with it.

Kachikwu also disclosed that partners in the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited are expected to take a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the company’s Train-7 project which will when completed, lift the capacity of the plant to 30 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa).

Details later…