The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Malam Mele Kyari, has said the Port Harcourt refinery will be ready before the end of the year 2023, according to a report by Daily Trust.
Kyari said the Port Harcourt refinery (old and new), with a combined capacity of 210,000 barrels per day would have been ready this month but for some supply issues.
He claimed most of the challenges have been addressed and expressed optimism that with the completion of the rehabilitation and the coming on board of the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Nigerians stand to gain more.
“Our plan is to bring it (Port Harcourt refinery) on stream this month but unfortunately, we have some slippage because of global supply chain issues that we had. We believe that this plant will come on stream before the end of this year. We’re very sure of that. The Port Harcourt refinery has a combination of 210,000 barrels per day so that means it’s a third of the Dangote refinery,” he told Daily Trust.
NNPC has a total refining capacity of 445,000 barrels in four refineries in three locations.
Kyari said that rather than use public funds, money was borrowed to rehabilitate the refineries and their repayment tied to their performance.
“We’re also borrowing to fix the Warri and Kaduna refinery. Kaduna will kick up, it is a 36 months project but what happens in the rehabilitation is that you do them stage by stage. We will replicate the same thing in the Warri refinery and the contractor, Daewoo is on site working, mobilized to site, equipment being delivered to site and we believe also that within that 36 month cycle, it will also complete the rehabilitation.
“Port Harcourt will start producing fuel this year and by the first quarter of next year, Kaduna will start producing fuel,” the NNPC boss revealed.
