In a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s energy sector, Green Energy International Ltd (GEIL) has successfully completed the first oil export from its newly constructed Otakikpo crude oil terminal in Rivers State, marking the first indigenous onshore crude export facility in over 50 years.
The terminal, which cost over $400 million to build, saw its first cargo lifted by Shell’s MV vessel at 14:00 hours, signaling the terminal’s full operational readiness. The project was delivered ahead of schedule in under two years, with GEIL Chairman, Prof. Anthony Adegbulugbe, praising the resilience of the indigenous workforce and acknowledging the support of regulatory agencies.
“This is the first privately developed crude oil terminal by an African operator,” Adegbulugbe noted, highlighting the project’s historic and strategic significance. The facility has an initial storage capacity of 750,000 barrels, with plans to expand to three million barrels. It also features a 360,000 barrels per day (bpd) pumping capacity, positioning it as a major boost to Nigeria’s oil export infrastructure.
The Otakikpo field, currently producing about 10,000 bpd, is designed to scale up significantly, with the terminal capable of handling up to 250,000 bpd of crude injection. The project opens new export opportunities for over 40 nearby stranded oil fields, estimated to hold more than three billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE). With a projected total investment of $1.3 billion, the Otakikpo terminal represents a transformative development in Nigeria’s indigenous oil and gas capacity, promising increased export efficiency and regional collaboration.
