Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, the Port Harcourt refinery is still being tested to make sure it is operationally ready before starting to conduct commercial operations.
It was anticipated that the refinery would start up again in December 2023 following a turn-around maintenance.
It was learned that crude supply will come after the test-running operation.
On Monday, Olufemi Oladapo Soneye, the NNPC Ltd.’s chief corporate communications officer, affirmed this.
“The Port Harcourt Refinery has been declared completed by us. The testing process is still in progress. Its goal is to make sure that everything is flawless, even the lines. Crude for refining can only be supplied if all is determined to be in order, according to Soneye.
Speaking at the 15th Refineries Rehabilitation Steering Committee Meeting and during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation project, Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., stated that as of December 15, 2023, 77.4% of the rehabilitation project had been completed and 84.4% of the Area 5 Plant, a crucial part of the Refinery, had been completed.
According to him, “we made a promise that we will reach a mechanical completion of phase one of the rehabilitation project by the end of December and get the other plants running in 2024 in our quest to ensure that this refinery is re-streamed to continue delivering value to Nigerians.” We have honored those promises as of right now.
Similarly, Pius Akinyelure, the chairman of the NNPC Ltd. Board, called the achievement “historic” and emphasized the board’s pride in the refinery’s personnel and management.
“We have only just begun. We aim to reach the maximum output level in order to maintain stable petroleum prices for the benefit of our citizens and increase national revenue, according to Akinyelure.
Speaking at the same event, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), said that the achievement represents yet another step forward in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope program.
He expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their endurance and faith in NNPC Ltd.’s ability to complete this massive project.
As cooking gas, or liquefied petroleum gas, is a significant byproduct of the refinery, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated that the reopening of the refinery will be positive for the country’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) business.