LONDON, JANUARY 23, 2017 – Italy’s Eni plans to deepen its involvement in Nigeria’s energy sector, increasing oil and gas exploration and helping to restore one of the country’s ailing refineries, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Eni Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi and Emmanuele Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, met in Rome this week to sign several memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreements to “further strengthen” Eni’s involvement in Nigeria.
Eni said it will “intensify” oil and gas exploration, including at onshore sites and help the Petroleum Ministry rehabilitate the Port Harcourt oil refinery, part of Nigeria’s goal to lessen its reliance on imported oil products.
It also plans to press forward with long-standing plans to double power generation capacity at the 480 megawatt Okpai Independent Power Plant (IPP)in Delta state, which was built by Eni’s local subsidiary Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
