The 150,000 barrels-per-day complex at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) is expected to become operational by mid-2025.
Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, shared this update during a press briefing at the refinery site in Rivers State on Tuesday.
Kyari revealed that the existing refinery complex, which has now resumed full operations, is capable of loading 200 trucks daily with a variety of petroleum products.
He attributed delays in the completion of the new facility to the need for a comprehensive overhaul of machinery, emphasising that the equipment being installed is entirely new.
Read also: Port Harcourt refinery resumes crude oil refining after promises since 1999
Accompanied by Ahmed Farouk, the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Kyari also addressed concerns about the dilapidated Eleme Road leading to the refinery.
The poor state of the road has raised fears of severe traffic congestion once regular truck operations commence.
Kyari assured stakeholders that the road has been incorporated into the NNPCL-led tax credit scheme, under which the company undertakes road repairs across the country in exchange for tax waivers.
Meanwhile, Femi Soneye, NNPC’s chief corporate communications officer, disclosed that truck loading at the Port Harcourt refinery began on Tuesday and confirmed that efforts are ongoing to restore operations at the Warri Refinery.
The reactivation of the Port Harcourt refinery marks progress after years of missed deadlines. In 2021, the federal government approved $1.5 billion for the repair of the plant, which had been inactive since 2019.
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