TheCable

The Petroleum Training Institute says it will collaborate with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to install anti-theft integrated monitoring systems on pipelines to protect the facility against oil theft.

Henry Adimula, chief executive officer, PTI, said this at the institute’s 50th anniversary, held on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the institute had developed an oil anti-theft integrated monitoring system for oil facilities.

“We’ve produced an oil anti-theft integrated monitoring system for pipeline monitoring, and an air quality monitoring systems,” he said.

“We have Al’s and have developed a corrosion robot for early detection of localised corrosion and prevent loss of integrity of the facilities, among others.”

Speaking on the issue, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO), NNPC Limited, said the national oil firm was pleased to hear what the institute had done in terms of pipeline monitoring.

He said the NNPC would work with the institute to deploy the technology to further boost the monitoring of NNPC’s pipelines with a view to addressing crude oil theft in Nigeria.

“We need to produce oil and gas. We are trying to address the massive oil theft. We will overcome it, but clearly it is something we also need to work together to resolve,” he said.

“That is why I’m happy to hear the PTI coming up with solutions that will be able to monitor pipelines.”

Kyari said the NNPC was collaborating with security agencies to arrest and deter people from having access to Nigeria’s crude.

Last week, NNPC boss raised alarm over the level of revenue loss to oil theft.

“Every two days, you are talking of almost $150 million down the drain, that’s what the nation is losing as we speak,” Kyari had said.

He further said Nigeria was suffering from underproduction to the tune of 600,000 bpd.

Oil theft had raised dust in the public space in recent weeks following the discovery of an illegal pipeline that had operated for nine years.