Amid severe shortages, NNPC Ltd exports first shipment of new crude blend, Utapate to Spain

As Nigerians continue to battle fuel scarcity, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited has launched its Utapate crude blend, a new type of crude, into the international market.

This development was announced in a statement issued on Monday by Femi Soneye, NNPC spokesperson.

He noted that the Utapate crude blend began operations in July, as its first cargo was bound for Spain.

The crude oil quality, Soneye said, comes from oil mining lease right (OML) 13, which is fully operated by NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), the company’s upstream subsidiary.

“Located offshore Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, Utapate’s current crude oil production stands at 28,000 barrels per day, with the potential to be increased to 50,000 barrels per day. Additionally, the sulphur content of the new crude is 0.0655%,” NNPC said.

“Spanish oil giant Repsol, won the tender for an initial cargo of 950,000 barrels of a new crude blend comparable to the much sought-after Amenam crude.”

According to the statement, Gulf Transport and Trading, another leading crude oil trader, has also secured cargo tenders for August and September.

“During the Argus European Crude Conference in London last year, NNPC Ltd announced the launch of Nembe crude, produced by the NNPC/Aiteo-operated Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 Joint Venture,” said an NNPC spokesperson.

“Similar to the grade of Nembe crude, the Utapate crude blend has a low sulfur content and a low carbon footprint due to the absence of flare gas, making it a perfect fit for the specifications required by major European buyers.”

Soneye said this remarkable achievement signifies NNPC’s commitment to increasing Nigeria’s crude oil production and adding to reserves through the development of new assets.

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