By Habeeb Adamu

   

Seplat Energy Plc, a leading Nigerian energy company listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the London Stock Exchange, has begun commercial injection of crude oil through the new Amukpe-Escravos Pipeline.

Announcing this in a statement on Monday, Seplat Energy said the 67km mostly underground pipeline is expected to provide a more reliable and secure export route for liquids from its major assets OML 4, 38 and 41, connecting them with the Chevron-operated Escravos Terminal. It has a capacity of 160,000 bbl/day, of which the Seplat Energy/NPDC joint venture is entitled to inject 35,000 bbl/day.

The company said dewatering was completed on Friday, 29 July and the Site Acceptance Test is now underway with commercial volumes.

Until now, the company has relied on the Trans Forcados System, which has experienced numerous disruptions in recent years due to pipeline maintenance and vandalism, which have impacted the company's revenues.

"The commercial launch of the Amukpe-Escravos Pipeline is a significant event for Seplat Energy and for Nigeria, offering a more secure and reliable export route that will assure higher revenues and profitability for Seplat Energy, enabling us to make a larger contribution to Nigeria's economy," Roger Brown, chief executive officer of Seplat Energy, said.

"We commend the work that has made this possible and appreciate the efforts of our partners and all contractors involved to create this more reliable and secure export route for Nigeria's oil," Brown said.