The Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has commissioned PE Energy’s ultra-modern Centre of Excellence in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria which would provide services in Automation, Process & Systems Integration as well as Valve Assembly, Valve Actuation, Metering Systems, Pump and Compressor Solutions.

The facility would also offer services in Instrument Fitting Manufacturing and Service Lines, Training and Competence Assessment, in addition to assembling Early Production Facilities (EPF’s) and Mobile Production Units (MOPU’s) which are essential in the nation’s aspiration to increase oil and gas production.

Speaking at the event attended by senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of international and local operating oil and gas companies, the Executive Secretary commended PE Energy for contributing to the growth of the Nigerian Oil & Gas sector and Nigerian Content.

He hinted that the company’s area of speciality in Automation, Process and System Integration is of special interest to the Board, especially as the oil and gas industry prepares itself to fully tap into the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He stated that the industry is going into an era where massive adoption of technology and innovation will become the norm, adding that “from unmanned FPSO’s to carbon capture technologies to achieve net-zero emissions, from Big Data Analytics for seismic surveys to the use of Augmented Realities for Human Capacity Development, the Board is delighted that Nigerian industry players are keen to adopt and deploy these new innovations.”

Wabote described PE’s Centre of Excellence as an excellent addition to top-notch facilities that showcases the success of Local Content in Nigeria and enhances the journey to the actualization of the 10-year strategic roadmap targeted to achieve 70 percent Nigerian Content in the Oil & Gas sector by the year 2027.

He also lauded PE Energy’s partnership with global brands in the automation and instrumentation industry, adding that such partnerships will enhance the acquisition of skills by the employees of PE Energy Ltd.

He stated that “the quality of the facility guarantees that none of the international operating companies would have any doubt that if given an assignment to PE Energy, it would produce the same quality you will see outside Nigeria.”

While commending the international oil companies for their continuous support in the successful implementation of Nigerian Content, the Executive Secretary noted that PE Energy’s Centre of Excellence will lead to cost reduction and enhancement of the reliability and availability of oil companies’ production facilities.

In his welcome address, the Managing Director of PE Energy Limited, Engr. DaereAkobo indicated that the facility is 100 percent local driven, from administration to technology, adding that the state-of-the-art facility spreads across an area of 10,820 sqm.

He noted that the multimillion-dollar investment had positioned the company as an automation process and system integration company in the service of critical process value chain in the Oil and Gas industry, offering innovative solutions for the exploration, extraction, processing, transportation, and distribution sectors.

Reeling out the company’s capacities, the Managing Director informed that the firm had delivered projects across sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya and Ghana and had also acquired a seismic detection technology and got approval from President Muhammadu Buhari to fly the northern basin of the country.

Akobo announced that the Centre of Excellence would consolidate the partnership between NCDMB and the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and focus on material substitution, which entails research and development in the use of raw materials for the formulation of drilling and completion fluids and additives.

He added that Center of Excellence would provide linkage between the industry and academia and serve as a Competence Assessment Center and contribute towards the creation of highly competent manpower through hands-on training in collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers.

In his goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Tanimu underscored the Ministry’s contributions to the promotion of Nigerian businesses and partnerships. He added that “once a business has the blessings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they achieve better results, rather than just going out to engage international partners on their own.”

He hinted that the Ministry promotes the Nigerian Content Policy and was canvasses for international companies to set up facilities in Nigeria and take advantage of the large market. He charged operators of the oil industry to patronise PE Energy to ensure return on investment and encourage other investors in the sector.