‘25 days to deadline’ - NNPC gives update on Port Harcourt refinery as countdown

Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) will start operations this December despite pessimism expressed by many Nigerians, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has said.

Ibrahim Onoja, Managing Director of the refinery, said this while giving an update in a television broadcast.

He said the Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, gave the assurance that the Port Harcourt refinery would come on stream by the end of the month.

He also said that the Warri refinery is slated to begin in early 2024.

This comes after some Nigerians doubted that the Port Harcourt refinery would commence operation this year as touted by the NNPCL.

Port Harcourt refinery now 75% complete

According to a ThisDay report, Onoja stressed that the rehabilitation of the refinery is now 98% complete.

He said: “Over 75% of this task has been completed and accelerated as workers run day and night shifts. We have completed most of the procurement, we have gone over 98%, and most of them are now delivered

We have refineries in the world that are over a hundred years old. The basic static equipment which is the metallic part you see remains fundamentally the same.

He added that the rotating equipment, which comprised pumps and compressors, had been upgraded.

He noted that the 3,000 workers working on the project had recorded 8.3 million man-hours with zero lost time to injuries.