Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has inspected the ongoing construction of a 30,000-barrel-per-day modular refinery being developed by Ebenco Global Link Limited, an indigenous energy and industrial services firm, in Koko, Delta State.

Lokpobiri described the project as a significant demonstration of renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, noting that its development aligns with the Federal Government’s petroleum reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

He said the refinery is expected to strengthen national energy resilience and support efforts to curb pipeline vandalism and illegal refining through the creation of legitimate, scalable alternatives in the value chain.

According to the minister, the Tinubu administration is deliberately restructuring the sector to unlock private capital and accelerate critical midstream and downstream investments.

He emphasised that modular refining, when built with strong governance frameworks and local fabrication capacity, offers a practical route to reducing supply deficits while boosting economic growth.

“The ongoing construction of this refinery in Koko is a strong indicator of renewed investor confidence in indigenous energy infrastructure. Modular refining provides a practical pathway to bridging Nigeria’s supply gaps while advancing economic development,” he said.

Ebenco’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ebenezer Oluwagbemiga, said the refinery will come on stream in phases, beginning with a 5,000-barrel-per-day steam-processing unit.

He noted that the project is designed not only to refine petroleum products but also to stimulate job creation, deepen local content and reduce the incentives driving illegal bunkering once full operations begin.

“We are taking this stage by stage. Beyond refining petroleum products, the project is expected to catalyse jobs, deepen local content and materially reduce the incentives that drive illegal bunkering,” he said.

From a project governance perspective, Ebenco’s Management Consultant, Dr. Peter Akindeju, described the refinery’s modular, batch-based configuration as a major advancement in indigenous engineering and commercialization.

He said it has the potential to shorten delivery cycles, improve operational flexibility and demonstrate Nigerian capability in building complex infrastructure.

Akindeju praised the company’s leadership for sustaining momentum on the project and urged the Federal Government to grant it pioneer status, given its alignment with national priorities on refining capacity, job creation and energy security.

An Associate Professor at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), Dr. Omonigho Otanocha, commended the project as a landmark contribution to Nigeria’s industrial self-reliance.

He also thanked President Tinubu for providing policy support that enables innovation in modular refining and highlighted the refinery as evidence of Nigeria’s growing capacity to develop midstream and downstream infrastructure locally.