Nigeria
is a leading producer of oil and also has vast gas resources.
The oil industry is currently the largest and most important
sector of the economy, being the main foreign exchange
earner. Akwa Ibom State is the second largest oil-producing
state in Nigeria and provides the operational base for
Exxon Mobil which is currently investing massively in
the expansion of terminal facilities at its Qua Iboe Terminal,
Ibeno and some gas utilisation projects. Exxon Mobil contributes
about 28 percent of Nigeria's total output. Other multinational
oil companies operating in Akwa Ibom State include Shell
Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria and ELF.
Akwa
Ibom State is located within Nigeria's Niger Delta region.
The Niger Delta basin is one of the most prolific hydrocarbon
provinces in the world. The sedimentary basin occupies
a total area of 75,000km2 and is at least 12km thick in
its central part. Total recoverable hydrocarbon is estimated
at more than 20 billion barrels of oil and 120 trillion
cubic feet of gas, making the region one of the highest
concentrations of petroleum per unit volume of basin-fill
sediment. The state government has just created a Ministry
of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to oversee its interests
in the sector.
AKWA
PETROLEUM AND ENERGY LIMITED (APEL)
Akwa Ibom Petroleum and Energy Limited is a state-funded
holding company recently incorporated to facilitate the
active participation of the state and its indigenes in
the Nigerian oil and gas sector. It has three main subsidiaries,
namely:
* APEL Exploration and Production Company Limited
* APEL Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited
* APEL Gas Company Limited
APEL
Production and Exploration Company will focus on the upstream
sector. It is currently bidding for oil blocks and marginal
fields within Akwa Ibom State. APEL Refining and Petrochemical
Company will be responsible for the construction and take
- off of an export - oriented refinery for which the state
has received Federal Government approval, while APEL Gas
Company will focus on gas utilisation projects.
APEL
is seeking joint venture partners with international investors
in the key areas of its operations.