By Perry Okolugbo
In 1998, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) entered into a 20-year Production Sharing Contract (PSC) in respect of certain oil mining leases (OMLs) with Addax Petroleum, a company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The PSC was subsequently extended for a further four years, until 2022. The assets were OMLs 123, 124, 126 and 137.
Under the PSC, Addax fully funded and operated the development of the OMLs, with profit shared between Addax and NNPC. From 1998 until 2009, Addax increased production in these OMLs to about 130,000 bpd. In 2009, Sinopec (a Chinese state-owned company) purchased Addax Petroleum. As a result, Sinopec obtained the rights to these assets.