The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has said that the New Port Harcourt Refinery (NPHR) is over 90 percent completed.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the national oil company, Mele Kyari, stated this Monday when labour leaders from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) visited the facility in Rivers State.
Represented by the Executive Vice President, Downstream, Ishaku Abdullahi, Kyari assured that the rehabilitation work at the NPHR, when completed, will compete with any refinery around the world with its state-of-the-art facilities.
He said the technical work is not just at an advanced stage but at a 90 percent completion level, as the NPHR, with 150,000 bpd, will combine with the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (OPHR) of 60,000 bpd to support refining processes as well as provide sufficiency for the country’s energy needs.
He also added that there are plans to establish a professional and technical operation and maintenance (O&M) team that will maintain the facilities so that the NNPCL can comply with the best practices in refinery maintenance around the world.
“This facility, this asset, is under rehab for an upgrade from before, and there is an established process that it should continue. When the rehab is completed, it will be up and running to the state of the art compared to any refinery around the world. So, that is it.
“All the assurances and the compliances would be made, and that is why a total rehab is being made. From the contractors’ view, the technical work that we are doing and from the report they sent to us are over 90 percent completed. We’ll deal with that as soon as possible, but we are following through and ensuring that we get value. Then we combine the 60,000 with the 150,000 bpd to 210,000 bpd so that will support our refining processes and products, with the multiplier effects that it will have on our refining products and the finished products that we desire in this country so that we’ll have sufficiency.
“All the refineries that are being rehabbed today, including the old refinery that is up and running, we’ll ensure that we have an established professional and technical O&M team that will continue to operate and maintain our facilities,” the EVP said.
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