(Ecofin Agency) - The Research and Development division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has entered into partnership with U.S-based Halliburton Corporation to use its innovative Neftex solution to locate viable crude oil deposits in Nigeria’s inland basins.

According to Bola Afolabi, the Group General Manager in charge of the R&D Division, the Halliburton's Neftex solution will enhance its ongoing search for commercial hydrocarbon in the inland sedimentary basins. The technology would also accelerate exploration efforts in the basins.

He said: “Halliburton’s Neftex solution would provide a geophysical mapping structure of Nigeria, and complement NNPC’s ongoing in-house efforts to develop what is known as Turonian Cenomanian Cretaceous source rock for all the basins in Nigeria. This essentially seeks to identify all the prolific basins in Nigeria by locating the cretaceous kitchen-areas where large crude oil deposits could be found.”

Afolabi noted that the collaborative research with Halliburton is expected be completed in 18 months.

“We are so excited about this project and with the assured support of the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, our projection is that by the turn of next year, we should be able to help the frontier basin team achieve a pin-point location of possible commercial oil finds for eventual drilling activities,” he added.

It should be recalled that NNPC earlier this month revealed plans to recommence drilling activities in the country’s northeast in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Anita Fatunji