BY LEVI JOHNSON
During a meeting with the Republic of the Congo’s Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC) on Monday, Secretary-General of OPEC H.E. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo emphasized the growing role of national oil companies (NOCs) in advancing the African energy sector.
Energy Capital & Power is live-covering the visit of OPEC and the African Energy Chamber to the Republic of the Congo, as the country launches a series of initiatives to promote the domestic energy sector.
H.E. Barkindo commended advancements made by SNPC with regard to the ongoing development of natural gas and its commitment to extending the benefits of natural resource extraction to local communities.
“Your Corporate Social Responsibility is very well noted and it is evident that your efforts across the country are touching the lives of ordinary people,” said H.E. Barkindo. “I have also noted that the NOC is giving due attention to the development of natural gas.”
The Secretary-General also highlighted the future role of oil and gas in sub-Saharan Africa and of NOCs in boosting exploration capacity, with a view to ensuring sustainable development and eliminating energy poverty.
“As we discussed this morning at our bilateral meeting with the Minister of Hydrocarbons, and at our meeting with the Prime Minister, the oil and gas industry has a very bright future around the world and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular,” said H.E. Barkindo. “This work will continue to rely on the exploration capacity and the consumption of hydrocarbons to ensure the sustainable development of the country.”
SNPC was created in 1998 and is the national oil company of the Republic of the Congo. Since the company´s establishment, and in accordance with the Republic of Congo´s revamped 2016 Hydrocarbons Code, SNPC is mandated to have at least a 15% share of all permits issued in the Congo´s energy sector. The company is headquartered in the capital of Brazzaville, but most of its six subsidiaries and technical operations take place in Pointe Noire, the Congo´s largest and most strategic oil and gas hub. In 2020, the Republic of the Congo produced slightly above 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), of which SNPC accounted for approximately 52,000 bpd.
“SNPC has worked tirelessly over the past 23 years and accomplished a great deal, and has been able to establish itself in the upstream, midstream and downstream sector,” noted Maixent Raoul Ominga, Director General of SNPC, during the meeting. “It is very encouraging to see that you are not only operating in the entire oil and gas supply chain, but also with operators in the upstream sector and in several joint ventures with a number of upstream companies.”
