The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited announced that the new Port Harcourt refinery is more than 90 percent complete.
The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) runs two refineries: an old one with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) and a new one with 150,000 bpsd, making the total capacity 210,000 bpsd.
Mele Kyari, the group’s CEO, spoke during a visit by labor leaders from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to the facility in Rivers state.
Represented by Isiyaku Abudulai, NNPC’s executive vice-president of downstream operations, Kyari mentioned that the new Port Harcourt refinery is currently undergoing rehabilitation and will be modernized soon.
He stated, “Once the rehabilitation is finished, the refinery will be operating at a state-of-the-art level compared to any other refinery globally. We will ensure compliance with health and safety standards.”
“The rehabilitation is over 90 percent complete according to reports from the contractor, Tecnimont SPA. We are working to finalize this process quickly to achieve a combined capacity of 210,000 bpsd to support our refining operations and meet the country’s demand for petroleum products,” he added.
‘NEW PORT HARCOURT REFINERY WILL BOOST EXPORTS’
Kyari mentioned that once the refinery is fully operational, it will enhance self-sufficiency, exports, imports, and local consumption of petroleum products, particularly petrol.
He also highlighted the importance of having a professional technical operations and maintenance team in place to ensure the proper functioning of the facilities.
Kyari emphasized the significance of regular rehabilitation and maintenance to avoid operational issues and mentioned the company’s commitment to following global best practices in refinery operations.
On November 26, the old Port Harcourt refinery resumed crude oil processing after being inactive for several years. The plant also started loading petroleum products for distribution by trucks.