NNPC Ltd achieves MECHANICAL completion of Port Harcourt refinery
… fulfils December 2023 deadline
.. says mechanical completion signifies closure of construction, installation phases
Oredola Adeola
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. has achieved the mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), ten days ahead of the December 31, 2023, deadline, rekindling hope for Nigerians.
This was confirmed in a statement released on Thursday by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, and obtained by EnergyDay.
The statement recalled that the rehabilitation work has been ongoing at the Port Harcourt Refinery for over two years and the NNPC Ltd. had pledged to complete Phase One of the project (mechanical completion and flare start-up) of Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5) by 31st December 2023.
Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd., in his comment during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation project, which also coincided with the 15th Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee Meeting, said that as of December 15, 2023, 84.4% of Area 5 Plant, a key component of the Refinery, and 77.4% of the entire rehabilitation project have been completed.
“In our quest to ensure that this refinery is re-streamed to continue to deliver value to Nigerians, we made a promise that we will reach a mechanical completion of phase one of the rehabilitation project by the end of December and get the other plants running in 2024. Today, we have kept those commitments,” Kyari stated.
The GCEO further commended the NNPC Ltd.’s staff and the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning (EPCIC) contractors for doing a great job in ensuring that the refinery achieved that significant milestone.
Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chairman of NNPC Ltd Board, also in his remarks, described the milestone as “historic”, stressing that the board was proud of the staff and management of the refinery.
“We are just starting. We want to be at the highest level of production so that we will keep the prices of petroleum prices in the country stable to give comfort to our people and generate more revenue for our country,” Akinyelure noted.
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), also in his remark said that the milestone is another landmark of the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He thanked Nigerians for their patience and the trust they have in NNPC Ltd.’s ability to deliver on this huge project.
Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), in his address, said re-streaming the Refinery will herald a good omen for the nation’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry, as LPG, also known as cooking gas, is a major by-product of the Refinery.
Fabio Del Cioppo, Managing Director of Tecnimont Nig. Ltd., one of the EPC Contractors of the Rehabilitation Project, in his comment, said his company remains committed to fulfilling the terms of the contract.
Soneye, in the statement, said that the PHRC rehabilitation project, which costs about $1.5bn, is an EPCIC project that covers the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning phases.
Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd added that for Area 5, the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation have all been completed.
He, therefore, emphasised that mechanical completion signifies the closure of the Construction and Installation phases.
More importantly, the milestone was achieved under an excellent Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) record, which stood at over 9.5 million manhours with zero Loss Time Injury (LTI).
