Kudu Gas final investment decision likely before end of year
Petroleum Training and Education Fund (Petrofund) CEO, Nillian Mulemi, and Executive for Human Capital and Strategic Development for NAMCOR, Maryke Krohne, said this week in London at an oil and gas industry conference, that a final investment decision on the Kudu offshore project is expected by the end of 2017.
The Getenergy Global 2017 event conference that was held from 7 to 9 May brought together governments and education training partners that support the localisation of operations and efficiency driven efforts in business for wide learning and development.
Oil Review Africa speaking to Mulemi and Krohne at the event said that both their organisations are in talks with international partners to foster relationship-building as well as a call for local skills development and capacity building.
Skills are being developed among local talent in preparation for a hydrocarbons economy but investment is needed in jobs such as resource managers and accounting professionals.
“In terms of capacity building, we have done fairly well, but the industry is too slow for my liking [and this is] frustrating for graduates,” Mulemi said.
According to Oil Review Africa, Mulemi and Krohne are upbeat but realistic about the Kudu Gas projects hydrocarbon prospects and funding local skills development. Mulemi added that joint venture partners as well as the Namibia Training Authority will be able to help with providing necessary up-skilling.
Mulemi at the conference said that Namibia has “high potential” with more than 40 hydrocarbons explorers working in the country and that she is confident of final investment decision by the end of the year.
“Gas was discovered in the early 70s and development has had its own cycles, with competing sources of energy [in Namibia but now] the momentum to develop the gas has grown,” she said.
With regards to capacity building, Mulemi said that Namibia has been very fortunate that the government had the foresight to establish the Petrofund, which has been in operation for more than 20 years.
She explained that the strategy moving forward is to develop a committee to identify which skills the industry requires, and to build relationships across the world with National Oil Companies and International Oil Companies, so that graduates can be employed around the world.
This she said is to ensure that they needed experience for when Kudu Gas goes live. She also cited mentorship and intern programmes as a further means of ensuring graduates have the experience as local expertise.
Krohne reiterated Mulemi’s calls for continued capacity building. With progress being made with the Kudu project, Krohne said NAMCOR needs to “make sure the technical skills are there at all levels” and that mentorship and coaching is needed to take the technical training to the next level.
Ensuring a robust downstream sector is important, according to Krohne. “What we have done so far is that we have overcapacitated in Exploration and Production,” she said, adding that the downstream sector will need qualified people if the next level of final investment decision comes in December.
