ABUJA, Nigeria, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Eland Oil & Gas, a Scottish company focused on Nigeria, said it was working to resume production from a Niger Delta facility closed for more than seven years.
Eland said it was working with operator Nigerian Petroleum Development Co. to restart production at Oil Mining Lease 40, starting with six wells in the Opuama field.
The production facility tied to the Opuama field has been shuttered for more than seven years. Eland said the plant's infrastructure has deteriorated. Les Blair, the company's chief executive officer, said in a statement Wednesday work to restore pipelines and other operations has been "frustrating but not unexpected in a project of this complexity and in the environment in which we are operating."
Banditry and rebel campaigns in the Niger Delta have resulted in a loss of oil revenue for the Nigerian government.
Eland said it was confident operations at Opuama would resume before the end of the year. A drilling rig should be in place offshore by 2014.
The company said it estimated the Opuama field contains 54.2 million barrels of oil.
