The Port Harcourt Refinery, managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) through the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) has commenced operations after undergoing rehabilitation and modernisation.
The refinery with 210,000 bpd refining capacity located at Alesa, Eleme, in Port Harcourt, comprises two operational units which were established in 1965 and 1989.
The old plant refines a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day (bpd), while the new plant refines 150,000 bpd.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government, under former President, Muhammadu Buhari, had in March 2021 secured a $1.5 billion loan to rehabilitate the facility which contract was awarded to an Italian firm, Tecnimont S.P.A, a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group.
Malam Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd. is leading the team to inspect the first lifting of petroleum product from the facility after its rehabilitation.
NewsWireNGR reports Kyari had earlier stated the Port Harcourt refinery will be ready before the end of the year 2023.
At the same time, the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, said the Port Harcourt Refinery would resume production by December 2023 with a target of 54,000 to 60,000 barrels of refined petroleum products per day.
