Post by Ikechukwu Arinze

One of the least exciting conversations in oil and gas may also be one of the most important: reliability.

We love talking about discoveries, new projects, billion-dollar investments and production targets.

But an oil field does not create value because it has reserves.

It creates value when it can produce and evacuate those barrels consistently.

Nigeria’s September numbers are interesting.

NUPRC reported average crude production of 1.53 million barrels per day, meaning Nigeria met its OPEC quota for the fifth consecutive month.

The Commission attributed the improved performance primarily to stable production operations and the absence of major pipeline outages. (NUPRC)

That tells me something important.

Sometimes the fastest way to increase production is not to drill another well.

It is to reduce the reasons existing wells are not producing.

That means:

Better maintenance.

Stronger pipeline integrity.

Reliable power.

Efficient marine logistics.

Faster repairs.

Better asset monitoring.

Effective evacuation infrastructure.

And competent people who can keep all these pieces working together.

This is also where I think Nigerian businesses have a significant opportunity.

There is an enormous market around keeping existing energy infrastructure productive.

We should not always chase the glamorous part of the industry.

There is serious value in solving the problems that operators deal with every day.

Because in oil and gas, a day of avoided downtime can be worth far more than another impressive presentation.

Reliability is not boring when you understand its economics.

What area of Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure do you think needs the most attention to improve production reliability?

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