The Federal Government is making plans to construct a 1,000-kilometre pipeline from the Niger Republic to the Kaduna Refinery.
The pipeline, according to the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, would help convey crude oil from Agadem to the Kaduna refinery.
The decision to turn to the Niger Republic for crude for the refinery, according to Baru, is because of the challenges being faced in accessing crude from the Niger Delta region. Baru disclosed this at a town hall meeting he had with the staff of the Kaduna Refinery in Kaduna at the weekend.
He said: “Due to challenges with the aged refinery and crude oil pipelines that had been breached severally, the operations of the refinery has been epileptic. This we are determined to resolve through various intervention methods, including evaluation of alternative crude oil supply from the Niger Republic through the building of pipelines of over 1, 000 kilometres from Agadem to Kaduna. That effort is being championed by Mr President himself.
“It was important to explore alternative crude supply to KRPC, which has been affected by vandalism of pipelines and obsolescence, assuring that the initiative will reduce downtime of the plant and ensure optimal utilisation.
“The Corporation has already started engagements with the Nigerien Minister of Petroleum and the Chinese that are operating the field at Agadem”, he said.
(But people are asking how much this exercise will cost Nigeria and if there are other hidden motives of the construction of this pipeline).
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