(Ecofin Agency) - As part of efforts to boost the country’s reserves, State-owned energy company Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced that it is ready to explore for crude oil in the Gulf of Guinea. This was declared by the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru (photo), during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.

According to Baru, the corporation will also explore for crude oil in other acreages and has promised to improve the reserves and production capacity of the corporation’s exploration and production subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company.

“As part of our 12 business focus areas, we are dedicated to growing the NPDC, thereby increasing our reserves portfolio. We will not relent until the NPDC exceeds its current position of being the seventh largest oil producer in Nigeria. In order to achieve this, NNPC would aggressively explore opportunities in other petroleum acreages in Nigeria, and with particular interest in the Gulf of Guinea,” Baru said.

He added that the corporation is also working relentlessly to develop the portfolio of services provided to the oil industry by its second Edo-based upstream outfit, known as the Integrated Data Services Company.

Anita Fatunji