The federal government has said that the Port Harcourt Refinery is about 80% complete after receiving crude oil from Shell. The Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Labour and Employment said this as labour unions toured the facility. The Minister of State for Labour and Employment said the combined capacity of the Refinery is about 10 million litres of petrol daily...CONTINUE READING
Nigeria is getting closer to raising its domestic refining capacity as the government stated that the Port Harcourt Refinery is 80% completed.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced the mechanical completion of the Port Harcourt Refinery in December last year, as the Dangote Refinery is ready to ship its first petroleum products.
The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, said that the Port Harcourt Refinery will produce two million litres of petrol and 2.2 million litres of diesel daily when it resumes operation.
Oshundun said that the old facility would produce 54,000 barrels daily, while the new one, which is almost completed, would start production by the end of the year.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, disclosed this after an inspection tour of the facility in the leadership of labour unions, adding that the combined capacities of the facilities would produce 10 million litres of petrol daily.
Onyejeocha said the visit by the government and labour ascertained that the facility is about 80% completed.
The Guardian reports that the minister explained that the old plant would begin production with 54,000 barrels per day and have two million litres of petrol and 2.2 million litres of diesel daily. At the same time, the new one will be completed soon.
He stated that the combined capacities of the facilities are about 10 million litres of petrol per day.
In early February 2024, EllaNews reported that the Port Harcourt refinery was set to begin operations after receiving 475,000 barrels of crude oil from Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited.
The crude oil supply is the first to be made in the past few years due to the poor state of the plant, which called for rehabilitation and testing to ensure readiness for sustainable operations.
Shell said the crude oil supply was significant and made possible via intensive preparations, partnerships and the dedication of the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal (BOGT) and the Port Harcourt Refinery Company teams.
The oil firm stated that some activities have been done, including pressure and leak testing, to ensure pipeline integrity by relevant subsidiaries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPL).
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said that the mechanical completion of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2024.
In a brief reply to The Punch’s question about when the plant would be mechanically finished, Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer of NNPCL, stated that the goal was to resolve it by the first quarter of this year.
The other two are the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State and the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State. Both facilities are undergoing continuing rehabilitation.
