CS CALLS FOR OIL EXPLORATION COMPANIES TO EMBRACE SUSTAINABILITY IN EXPLOITATION OF FOSIL FUELS.

The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Energy and Petroleum Mr. Davis Chirchir is calling on oil exploration companies to fast track the exploitation of fossil fuels in Turkana County to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner. The CS said the seamless process will ensure Turkana County at large and the local communities in South Lokichar basin benefit from the hydrocarbon resources found in Turkana.

To achieve this, Chirchir said discussions are on-going on the proposed Field Development Plan (FDP) submitted by Tullow Kenya BV which will be a roadmap of how the resources in the South Lokichar basin are to be exploited for the benefit of humanity. This Plan Chirchir said, directly affects the people of Turkana and in due course, the ministry will be engaging the Turkana leadership on this important document.

The CS who was speaking at Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos County during the Turkana leadership Forum on Oil and Gas noted, “this summit therefore, provides us with an opportunity to start the conversation that would provide insight on what the FDP entails and its importance. He said currently Kenya imports all of its refined Petroleum product requirements and the quantity of petroleum products imported into the Country for local use through the OTS increased from 4,994,577 cubic meters in the financial year 2020/2021 to 5,539,884 cubic meters in the financial year 2021/2022.

He added, “it is therefore, important to note and appreciate that these resources in Turkana could be a game changer in our petroleum energy mix, becoming a major foreign exchange earner for Kenya”. He further explained that one of the main takeaways from the Maanzoni Lodge summit should be the Development of a Joint Collaboration framework (JCF) for Project Oil Kenya (POK), which would define how “we engage moving forward, and the roles different stakeholders should play”.

“This is really the development of a roadmap for collaboration between the Ministry of Energy & Petroleum, the Turkana leadership, and Tullow Kenya BV”, the CS noted.

The CS said the main issues to consider during the Summit so as to actualize this framework would be the composition of JCC (Joint Collaboration Committee), the management structure of the Project Oil Kenya JCF, the Mandates and responsibilities of various teams/ stakeholders, the Frequency of JCF Meetings (Preferably quarterly); and Funding options of Joint JCF Activities. He lauded the Turkana County leadership for working together with the Ministry for the betterment of the Turkana community which, he said would create a win-win scenario for all stakeholders as “we plan to exploit the resources in Turkana in a prudent and sustainable manner”. He told oil explorers to be alive to the fact that the world was moving towards renewable energy and climate change was becoming a reality.

The Summit was attended by Turkana County Governor Jeremiah Lomorkai, Senator Elkomwa Lomenen among other leaders.

Ends…….