Minister of State for crude oil, Lokpobiri, assures Port Harcourt refinery will start production in December
The Ministers of State in the Petroleum Ministry, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Oil) and Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), at Port Harcourt for the Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee meeting, accompanied by the GCEO of NNPC Ltd., Mele Kyari on Friday
Oredola Adeola
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, has confirmed that the Port Harcourt refinery will resume production by December 2023, reiterating the government’s commitment to ending petroleum product importation soon with the nation’s local refining capacity.
This was made known by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation work progress at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd. plant, in Port Harcourt on Friday.
According to a statement released by Garba Deen Muhammad, Chief Corporate Communications Officer Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, the Minister of State Oil, said considering the level of progress recorded in the PHRC rehabilitation project, the plant will come back on stream by December this year.
Lokpobiri said, “Our objective in coming here today is to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation. From what we have seen here today, Port Harcourt Refinery will come on board by the end of the year.
“Warri will come on stream by the end of the first quarter of next year, and Kaduna will also come on board towards the end of next year.
“If you add that to the Dangote Refinery, we will be able to stop fuel importation, and Nigerians will enjoy the full benefits of deregulation,” the Minister of State Crude Oil boasted.
The Minister also said he was satisfied with the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt refinery, noting that once all the refineries are back on stream, Nigerians will enjoy a better supply of petroleum products, and foreign exchange will be domesticated, leading to an improved economy.
Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), who also joined the tour of the facility said yesterday was the era of subsidies, today, we don’t have subsidies.
He said, “Today, people are in a desperate situation to heave a sigh of relief; and see how to live. You all know that petrol is very vital to our economy. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the refineries are working,” he stated.
EnergyDay gathered that the two Petroleum Resources Ministers also participated in the Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee meeting and held a meeting with the refinery’s Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Contractors.
Mr. Mele Kyari, Group CEO, of NNPC Ltd., in his remark, said that bringing back the refineries to their optimal levels is a national aspiration, and the Company remains focused on delivering that.
He said, “We are aware of our nation’s challenges in terms of fuel supply. But we are not here to give excuses. We are focused on delivering this rehabilitation project, our two other refineries, and all other investments towards revamping the nation’s refining capacity.
“We are hopeful that in 2024, this country will be a net exporter of petroleum products,” Kyari stated.
