FG seeks investment expansion in oil, gas sector through capital market

By Helen Oji |   17 April 2024   |   5:24 am  

Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Energy Plc, Roger Brown(left); Group CEO, Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group, Temi Popoola; Board Chairman, Seplat Energy Plc, Udoma Udo Udoma; Acting. CEO, NGX, Jude Chiemeka; Group Chairman, NGX Group, Dr. Umaru Kwairanga and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, at the NGX Closing Gong Ceremony to mark a Decade of Listing of Seplat Energy on the NGX and the London Stock Exchange … yesterday in Lagos.


.As Seplat generates $1.7b in FCF, invests $1.6b in Capex

The Federal Government has called on oil and gas operators to create ingenious ways of raising capital to expand their investment and tackle myriads of problems facing the sector, especially leveraging the nation’s capital market.

Minister of States for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, while speaking at the Seplat Energy anniversary to commemorate its 10 years of Dual Listing on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and London Stock Exchange held in Lagos yesterday, assured that the government would continue to create an enabling environment and regulatory framework for companies to operate in a more conducive manner as prescribed by the PIA.

According to him, there is a need for companies in the sector to adopt robust corporate governance structures that would attract financiers and sustain their confidence to invest in these firms as achieved by Seplat Energy. He said:” We need to solve our problems ourselves; this is the time for us to evolve homegrown solutions to solve our energy problems.

“It may be increasingly difficult to access funding from the West: Saudi Arabia and UAE to expand investment in oil and gas because they have the money but for some reason, we do not have.

“So, we have to evolve some ingenious ways of raising money, through the capital market. We are committed to sustaining our production in oil and gas but in a more responsible and cleaner way by deploying the best technology.”

He added that there is a need for the country to boost its production capacity currently, considering the attractiveness of pricing now. Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy, Roger Brown, while reviewing its performance over the last 10 years, said the energy giant generated $1.7 billion in Free Cash Flow (FCF) and invested over $57million to support community projects, especially in the areas of health care, education and empowerment.

He pointed out that the firm has returned dividends worth $575 million and invested $1.6 billion in capital expenditure in the last 10 years.

“Our strong cash generation has supported our ambition to expand our business, which has seen us spend an aggregate of $1.6 billion in capex.

According to him, the company has delivered significant value-enhancing strategies in both operations and financials within 10 years of listing on the bourse He noted that the firm has increased its gas revenue by 350 per cent to $123.4 million from 2014 to 2023.

“We have completed major acquisitions since 2014, unlocking upside value. Our current portfolios include seven onshore blocks, acquired Chevron’s OML53, transferred in 2016, resulting in the development of the ANOH gas plant, acquired Eland in 2019, signed SPA with Exxon for MPNU in February 2022.”

As part of its resolve to become a major oil company in Nigeria, the company embarked on a capital raising to the tune of $500 million on the LSE and the NGX. He added that the company has returned $575 million to shareholders from the IPO between 2014 to 2023.

You may also like

3 days ago
Western Digital has made a significant leap in storage technology with the introduction of its latest high-capacity portable hard drives. Announced today, the new offerings from its WD, WD_BLACK, and SanDisk Professional lines feature the world's first six terabytes, TB, capacity in a 2.5” portable HDD format. This groundbreaking development marks a major milestone in…
1 day ago
Air Peace is under scrutiny by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) following reports from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UKCAA) alleging violations of safety regulations. This is coming just three months after Air Peace launched its popular Lagos-London route. The route, which Air Peace operates from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos to Gatwick…
1 day ago
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled a new category of PC on Monday that features generative artificial intelligence tools built directly into Windows, the company's world leading operating system. The tech giant estimates that more than 50 million "AI PCs" will be sold over the next 12 months, given the appetite for devices powered by ChatGPT-style…