Port-Harcourt refinery to begin operation in second quarter, says NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NPC), on Thursday, said that the Port-Harcourt refinery will begin operations by the second quarter of 2023.

It said Warri and Kaduna stations had been contracted for quick rehabilitation to reduce fuel scarcity and increase dependence on natural gas through the rehabilitation of three refineries.

The Company’s Executive Vice President, Danladi Inuwa, disclosed this in Abuja, during the sensitization workshop, with the theme: “Understanding Our National Oil Company Post-Petroleum Industry Act”, organized by Tedran Consulting.

He noted that the aim of the workshop is to enlighten Nigerians on the decision-making process of a profit-oriented company.

Inuwa explained that by becoming a limited liability company, the company has been able to invest in infrastructure and initiate various corporate responsibility initiatives to spur development while ensuring energy security.

He said: “We have the mandate to ensure energy security for the nation. We are focusing on monetising our gas which is evident in some of the key projects like the AKK project. This is all done to ensure NNPC is fulfilling its mandate and spurring development.

“We are working to revamp our refineries, for instance, the Port-Harcourt refinery will be functioning by the second quarter of 2023, the area five of the refinery will be functioning. Also, Warri and Kaduna refineries will have been signed on a quick rehabilitation to refine our petroleum product in the country.

In his remarks, President of the Tedran Consulting, Olalekan Edwards, speaking on the concerns about citizen participation in influencing key project decisions in host communities, he said: “The accurate picture here is we want to change the narrative from protest to participation. We most times address them at the aftereffect of misapplication of funds or projects that are not in developmental the communities, so we have decided to rise up.

“If you go to different host communities, you will hear issues that boil down to their development. We are placing a demand, we want to begin to participate in our affairs rather than just protest.”