The Port Harcourt Refining Company is currently undergoing various licensing processes following the supply of crude oil to the plant after its mechanical completion in December 2023.
Senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) confirmed this on Saturday. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, emphasized that the plant is in its final rehabilitation stage.
“The mechanical work at the Port Harcourt refinery has been completed. Also, crude oil has been sent to the plant. What is being awaited now has to do with licensing and the like. These licenses are given based on specific time-frames,” explained a petroleum ministry official who spoke anonymously due to a lack of authorization to discuss the matter.
In March, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari announced that the refinery had received 450,000 barrels of crude oil and was expected to begin operations in April. However, this did not occur as planned. Kyari made these remarks during a Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigation into the Turn Around Maintenance projects of Nigeria’s refineries.
“We did a mechanical completion of the refinery in December. We now have crude oil already stocked in the refinery. We are conducting regulatory compliance tests that are mandatory for every refinery before starting operations. I assure you that this Port Harcourt refinery will start in the next two weeks,” Kyari stated at the time.
He also mentioned that the Warri refinery had completed its mechanical work and was undergoing similar regulatory compliance processes. The Kaduna refinery, however, is expected to be ready by December 2024.
Kyari further noted, “All crude lines are active and have delivered over 450,000 barrels into the Port Harcourt refinery.”
At a press briefing on Friday, Minister Lokpobiri defended the ongoing work at the Port Harcourt refinery, explaining that refineries often take time to start producing refined products after mechanical completion. He cited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as an example, noting that it took several months to release its first products following its inauguration by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023.
“Port Harcourt refinery is still in the final stage of rehabilitation. After the flares at the refinery in December 2023, a lot of work has to be done. Recall that the Dangote refinery was commissioned by former President Buhari before he left. But when did they start producing products? It took a long while,” Lokpobiri explained.
He stressed that while he regularly receives briefings from the NNPC on the status of the Port Harcourt refinery, he continues to press for a completion date. Lokpobiri reassured Nigerians that the government is committed to supporting the refinery’s progress to ensure it begins releasing refined petroleum products soon, which will positively impact the country’s economy.
