Port Harcourt refinery to begin production early August – NNPCL

Senior officials at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) have revealed that the Port Harcourt refinery is currently undergoing various licensing processes.

 

The NNPCL has reaffirmed its readiness to commence crude oil refining at the Port Harcourt refinery in early August.

The Port Harcourt refinery complex, located in Alesa-Eleme near Port Harcourt in Rivers State, comprises two refineries. Port Harcourt II (New Refinery) is a complex conversion refinery with a nameplate distillation capacity of 7,500,000 MTA (150,000 bpd). Initially intended to serve as an export refinery when it came online in 1988, it has since been dedicated to the domestic market due to frequent supply interruptions from Nigeria’s other three refineries. Port Harcourt II has significant clean fuel capabilities, including the production of lead-free gasoline.

 

Senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPCL revealed that the facility is currently undergoing various licensing processes, following the supply of crude to the plant after its mechanical completion in December 2023.

 

Similarly, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, confirmed that the plant was in its final rehabilitation stage.

 

“The mechanical work at the Port Harcourt refinery has been completed. Crude oil has also been sent to the plant. What remains now are licensing and related processes. These licenses are issued based on certain time frames.

 

“Officials involved in issuing these licenses are currently observing the plant. Some arrived last month and are still there, inspecting everything. They will also need to test-run the plant, and all this will be done at their pace. Many of these officials are foreigners, and you can’t rush them.

 

“They have their integrity to protect. If anything goes wrong at the refinery, the officials could be held accountable, and their insurance firms would have to cover any damages. So the timing of the refinery’s startup is not entirely in our hands,” stated a petroleum ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the matter.

 

In March this year, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari, announced that the Port Harcourt refinery had received 450,000 barrels of crude oil and was expected to begin operations in April. However, this did not occur.

 

Kyari disclosed this at a press briefing following his appearance before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the various Turn Around Maintenance projects of the country’s refineries.

 

“We achieved mechanical completion of the refinery in December. We now have crude oil stocked in the refinery. We are conducting regulatory compliance tests that must occur in every refinery before starting operations, and I assure you that the Port Harcourt refinery will start in the next two weeks.

 

“Completing the mechanical work means that the rehabilitation work is done. Now, we must test to see how it functions. We have also completed the mechanical work on the Warri refinery, which is also undergoing regulatory compliance processes with our regulator. This will soon be completed and ready.

 

“Kaduna refinery will be ready by December. We have not reached that stage in Kaduna, but we promise Kaduna will be delivered by December,” stated the NNPC helmsman.