The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said strategic partnership and new investments in the Upstream Petroleum Sector are essential for it to actualize the nation’s crude oil reserves and 3m barrels per day oil production target by 2023. The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, disclosed this yesterday when the Executive Vice President of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Mr. Lu Yan Ji, paid him a business visit at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.

A statement by NNPC spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, on Thursday said the GMD commended CNOOC for its plan to expand its investment in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry and assured it of the corporation’s support. “To have investment of $16bn in Nigeria is clearly an indication of your confidence in us. We have a target to grow production to 3m barrels per day by 2023; to do that, we need partners like you,” the GMD stated. The CNOOC Vice President, Mr. Lu Yan Ji, said Nigeria was one of his company’s largest investment destinations with investment outlay standing at about $16bn. He called for NNPC’s support in securing the investments, adding that there was need for both National Oil Corporations to work closely together.

He disclosed that CNOOC currently produces 800,000bpd worldwide with a target to hit 1.2 million barrels per day, adding that Nigeria was one of the targeted places to actualize the target. CNOOC started business in Nigeria in 2005. It currently has interest in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130 in partnership with NNPC, Total and Petrobras.

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