The Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri has disclosed that the mechanical completion and flare start-off of the Port Harcourt Refinery was a promise made and kept.
Sen. Lokpobiri stated this shortly after the inspection tour of the rehabilitation project recently.
The Minister said, “achieving mechanical completion and initiating flare start-off is a fulfillment of our promise made upon taking office, and today, the refinery’s phase one is operational this December, with the second scheduled for early next year.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for the trust, and Nigerians for their patience throughout the rehabilitation work.
“I extend my appreciation to Nigerians for their patience and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee and all stakeholders. Special thanks to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for entrusting us with this responsibility.
“The Renewed Hope administration remains steadfast in enhancing the well-being of Nigerians and this achievement marks a significant step towards that goal”, he said.
Recall, the combined capacity of the Port Harcourt refinery is 210,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The refinery complex has been undergoing rehabilitation and upgrade to increase its efficiency and yield, with the aim of reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imports of refined petroleum products.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mr. Mele Kyari, during the inspection tour on Thursday said, as of December 15th, 2023, 84.4 percent of Area 5 Plant, a key component of the Refinery, and 77.4% of the entire rehabilitation project had been completed, with a plan to get the other plants running in 2024.
