- Minister Heineken Lokpobiri announces the completion of phase 1 rehabilitation for Port Harcourt Refinery, marking the commencement of refining operations
- Mechanical completion of the old Port Harcourt refinery heralds the production of petroleum products after the Christmas break
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), has officially announced the completion of phase 1 rehabilitation for the Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State, marking the commencement of petroleum refining operations.
This revelation was made during the 15th Refineries Rehabilitation Steering Committee Meeting in Port Harcourt, coinciding with the mechanical completion of the old Port Harcourt refinery on Thursday. The meeting saw the presence of notable figures such as Mallam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, NNPC Limited’s Executive Vice President (Upstream), and Chief Pius Akinyelure, the NNPC Board Chairman.
Senator Lokpobiri stated, “This is just to announce to Nigerians that in fulfillment of our pledge to bring on stream phase 1 of the PH refinery by the end of 2023 and the subsequent streaming of phase 2 in 2024, we heartily announce the mechanical completion and flare-up of the refinery on the 20th of December 2023. This heralds the commencement of production of petroleum products after the Christmas break.”
Speaking at the briefing, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chairman of the NNPC Board, expressed pride in the refinery staff and management. He emphasized that the refinery aims to achieve the highest level of production to stabilize petroleum prices in the country.
Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, affirmed the commitment to ensuring the full completion of the refinery.
The Old Port Harcourt Refinery (OPHR), commissioned in 1965 with a capacity of 35,000 BPSD, underwent de-bottlenecking in 1972 to increase its capacity to the current 60,000 BPSD. The New Port Harcourt Refinery (NPHR), commissioned in March 1989 with a capacity of 150,000 BPSD, has faced challenges in previous efforts to revive it.
The refinery underwent repair works in March 2019, overseen by Italy’s Maire Tecnimont and technical adviser Eni. The resumption of operations is anticipated to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported petroleum products, positively impacting revenue.
Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, highlighted that the refinery’s restart will have a positive impact on the nation’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry, as LPG is a significant by-product of the refinery