The Government of Ghana has withdrawn the unitisation directives issued in 2020 that mandated the joint operation of oil fields by Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Limited (Eni) and Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (Springfield).
This was announced in a statement issued by the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition on February 25, 2025.
According to the Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, this was done following a directive from President John Dramani Mahama.
The previous government had required the compulsory unitisation of Eni’s Sankofa field and Springfield’s Afina discovery as part of efforts to optimise resource extraction.
However, the directive faced significant opposition and led to protracted legal disputes. In July 2024, the International Arbitration Tribunal dismissed a $915 million claim by Eni and Vitol against Ghana, which challenged the unitisation directive.
It ruled that while the concept of unitisation is legally valid, the specific circumstances and implementation of the directives violated the Petroleum Agreement. But the current government has withdrawn the directive.
The Ministry of Energy said that this withdrawal does not preclude the possibility of issuing new directives in the future, should they be necessary for the equitable and efficient development of the country’s petroleum resources.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
