The PORT HARCOURT Refinery is currently undergoing test runs to ensure operational readiness before officially commencing commercial operations. Despite expectations of resuming refining after Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in December 2023, ongoing reports suggest that the exercise, along with crude supply, is still in progress.
Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., Olufemi Oladapo Soneye, confirmed the status, stating, “We have said that the Port Harcourt Refinery has been completed. Test running is ongoing to ensure everything, including the lines, is in perfect condition. The supply of crude for refining will commence once everything is confirmed to be fine.”
Previously, NNPC Ltd. announced the mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on the Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC). The company aimed to achieve Phase One of the project by the end of December 2023, with significant progress reported during an inspection tour by NNPC Ltd.’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari.
Kyari noted that 84.4% of the Area 5 Plant and 77.4% of the entire rehabilitation project had been completed. The Chairman of the NNPC Ltd Board, Pius Akinyelure, called the milestone “historic,” expressing pride in the refinery’s staff and management.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, highlighted the achievement as a testament to the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, emphasized that re-streaming the refinery would positively impact the nation’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry, a major by-product of the refinery.