DPR postpones launch of Downstream Monitoring Remote Systems

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has postponed the launch of its Downstream Remote Monitoring Systems (DRMS) which was originally scheduled to take place in Abuja on 1st December 2020 due to circumstances beyond its control.

A new date for the launch will be announced soon, according to a statement signed by the agency’s Head, Public Affairs Unit, Paul Osu, and published on its Twitter account this morning.

DRMS is a web based solution designed to provide intelligent regulatory and inventory management system for petroleum products supply and distribution from depot to retail outlets.

The system is also designed as a regulatory tool to monitor retail outlets and depot activities.

Other features of the application, according to him, include retail outlets accreditation and re-registration, nationwide automated product inventory management, retail outlets cordinate recording for mapping purposes and transactions management and report generation of dealers nationwide.

The establishment of DRMS is another strategic initiative of DPR to continue to create opportunities and enable buisness in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

In another development, the DPR has announced the introduction of new guidelines to accommodate more Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) investors and operators across the country as part of its policy on gas.

This initiative by the oil and gas regulator is part of the measures aimed at enhancing the availability of LPG, also known as cooking gas in Nigeria, in addition to meeting the current administration’s target of 5 million metric tonnes of domestic, commercial and industrial LPG utilization in the next 10 years.

According to a report by ThisDay, the disclosure was made by the Zonal Operations Controller of DPR, Ayorinde Cardoso, while speaking with journalists during a public sensitization exercise on safe usage of LPG.

Cardoso stated that the federal government through the National Gas Expansion Programme was committed to making gas accessible and affordable for Nigerians.

He said, “We have a lot of people coming into the sector to invest and DPR is on ground to ensure that they follow the regulatory requirements. We have brought out new guidelines to encourage investors and anybody that wants to operate in the sector to follow the guidelines.

“DPR is also collaborating with the Lagos state government and other stakeholders to improve safety in gas storage, sales and distribution.”

Nairametrics had earlier reported that as part of its new policy on gas, DPR had moved against illegal operators of gas facilities with the shutdown of 85 LPG plants in Lagos in the last 10 months. It stated that the plants were shut down for not complying with international safety standards and operating without approval or license from the DPR.

The Federal Government had encouraged stakeholders and investors to invest in the LPG sector to accelerate the development of the domestic gas market.

It can be recalled that the FG through the Central Bank of Nigeria had set up a NGN250 billion intervention facility for the national gas expansion programme, with the specific target at making Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) the fuel of choice for transportation as against petrol and LPG for domestic cooking, captive power, and small industrial complexes.

NAN