Kenya to have the first regional seismic processing center in Nairobi

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The national oil corporation has announced that it is in the process of setting up the first seismic processing and data visualization center within East and Central Africa.

According to National Oil Corporation managing director Summaya Athmani the center will help handle the increased seismic acquisition in the country and the entire region in general that have in the past seen data flown internationally due to lack facilities.

National oil says the center will be complete by July 2015 and is part of the corporation’s strategy to position Kenya as an African upstream trade and logistics center.

Apart from the seismic center the National Oil Corporation has also announced other projects including the putting up a geochemical and petrophysical laboratory that will provide the wide range of analytical data with the complete furnishing and equipment of this facility expected in Q1 2015.

“We are also focused on research and innovation and identify and develop coal bed methane in the coal belt as well as spearheading research on biodiesel production from algae even as we create a social innovation center,” says Athmani.

The corporation adds it is also setting up a national oil data center that will help safeguard the sovereignty of oil and gas data that will help execute its mandate as the national data repository with the facility excepted to be completed by July 2014.

As part of making Kenya as the African upstream trade and logistics center the corporation has also proposed for the setting up of the Mombasa petroleum trading hub  with an offshore petroleum jetty and a modern greenfield petroleum tank farm with capacity of approximately 740,000 meters.

“The trading hub is expected to have a transaction advisor by July 2014 having been already approved by the government as part of the 47 public private partnership priority projects, adds Athmani.

Athmani adds the country could in the coming years have special economic zones dedicated to petroleum trading.

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