NNPC Completes Port Harcourt Refinery Maintenance

• As Edo refineries receive crude

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd said it has fulfilled its pledge of achieving the mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC).

This is coming as the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company, ERPC, facility in Ologbo and Duport Midstream Company Limited, DMCL, facility in Egbokor, Orhionmwon, yesterday received 75,500 barrels of crude from the Oza oil field and its partner, Millenium Oil and Gas Company Limited.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation project, which Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd., Mr. Mele Kyari, said as of December 15, 2023, 84.4 per cent of Area 5 Plant, a key component of the refinery, and 77.4 per cent of the entire rehabilitation project have been completed.

“In our quest to ensure that this refinery is re-streamed to continue to deliver value to Nigerians, we made a promise that we will reach a mechanical completion of phase one of the rehabilitation project by the end of December and get the other plants running in 2024. Today, we have kept those commitments,” Kyari said.

The GCEO NNPC Ltd commended its staff and the EPCIC contractors for doing a great job in ensuring that the refinery achieved that significant milestone.

In his remarks, the Chairman of NNPC Ltd Board, Pius Akinyelure described the milestone as “historic,” adding that the board was proud of the staff and management of the refinery.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said the milestone is another landmark of the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In his address, Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said re-streaming the refinery will herald a good omen for the nation’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry, as LPG, also known as cooking gas, is a major by-product of the Refinery.

On his part, Managing Director of Tecnimont Nig. Ltd., Fabio Del Cioppo, one of the EPC Contractors of the rehabilitation project, said his company remains committed to fulfilling the terms of the contract.

The operators of  Oza oil field, Decklar Resources Inc, and its co-venturer, Millenium Oil and Gas Company Limited have said that they have delivered a total of 75,500 barrels of crude till date to two modular refineries in Edo State.

The two refineries are the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company (ERPC) facility in Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, and the Duport Midstream Company Limited (DMCL) facility in Egbokor, Orhionmwon LGA in the State.

Chief Executive Officer of Decklar Resources, Sanmi Famuyide, said the deliveries are part of the contracts with the two companies for the supply of crude for refining.

According to him, “Trucking of oil from the Oza Oil Field has continued to the ERPC facility and the DMCL refinery, both located in Edo State, Nigeria. Delivery of a total of over 75,500 bbls has been completed to date, with over 60,000 bbls delivered to ERPC and over 15,000 bbls delivered to DMCL.”