KEY POINTS
- NNPCL said Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation is 90 percent complete.
- To attain 210,000 bpsd capacity, refinery to support local and export demand.
- A top notch operations and maintenance (O&M) team will be deployed by NNPC for continuous efficiency.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery is about 90 per cent complete.
This will stimulate Nigeria’s local refining capacity sharply, cut the dependence on imports and increase the country’s fuel sufficiency.
Due to its two refineries, Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), has a capacity of 60,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) in the old plant and 150,000 bpsd in the new plant, for a total of 210,000 bpsd.
Speaking at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) facility inspection in Rivers State, NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari, represented by NNPC’s Executive Vice President (Downstream), Isiyaku Abudulai, provided state of the project.
Once completed, he said, the refinery would be of world class standard, and health and safety compliance will be strict.
Fuel self sufficiency step
The upgraded refinery will support Nigeria in its quest for self sufficiency in petroleum product supply, Kyari said. The refinery will not only meet the need locally but will also enhance the country’s export potential, he added.
The refinery would increase domestic production of refined petroleum products and reduce the need for fuel imports, he said. He stressed the demand for 210,000 bpsd capacity would serve both domestic consumption and export viability.
After the rehab is complete it will be running at a state of the art level, such that any refinery in the world would be happy to have this one.” Kyari said, `It will comply to health and safety standards to make for smooth operations.’
Also, the NNPC boss announced that Tecnimont SPA, an Italian engineering firm, is working with the NNPC to refurbish the refinery. Based on contractor reports, the project has moved past the 90 percent of completion marker, remaining only with the final touches to make sure that operational requirements are all met.
Top Notch Operations and Maintenance
Kyari added that NNPCL is also assembling a world class technical operations and maintenance (O&M) team to ensure continuous operations of the company at optimum capacity. They will be responsible for keeping the facilities up, keeping a watch on asset performance and eventually changing any aging components.
NNPC is committed to global best practices in refinery management and it will step up monitoring activities to continue to operate at levels that are practiced around the world, he said. Kyari said we’re looking at the best O&M teams around the world to support that process.
Completion of the refinery is a major milestone for Nigeria in general, moving toward fuel independence. When the Port Harcourt Refinery begins operation, it will significantly cut back on the costly reliance of Nigeria on imported fuel and help stabilize fuel prices and make petroleum products more easily available locally.
