The Federal Government has announced once again that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd will be operational by December.
This is part of the government’s pledge to eliminate petroleum product imports as soon as efforts to rebuild the nation’s domestic refining capability are redoubled.
According to a Friday statement from the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil).
He reported the Minister as saying this during an inspection tour of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd. plant’s restoration work progress on Friday.
The Minister, who was accompanied by his counterpart, Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Gabriel T. Aduda; and Group CEO, NNPC Ltd., Mr. Mele Kyari, stated that given the level of progress made in the PHRC rehabilitation project, the plant will be operational by December of this year.
“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 assured.
He also expressed satisfaction with the ongoing restoration work at the Port Harcourt refinery, stating that once all of the refineries are operational, Nigerians will have a greater supply of petroleum products and foreign exchange will be domesticated, resulting in an enhanced economy.
This revelation comes just a few weeks after President Bola Tinubu pledged that the Port Harcourt refinery will be operational in December in an attempt to persuade organized labor to end their statewide strike.
During Friday’s visit, Mr. Mele Kyari, Group CEO of NNPC Ltd., stated that restoring the refineries to their optimal levels is a national goal that the Company is committed to achieving.
“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.
Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), also said: “We are here to go into the field. Yesterday was the era of subsidies. Today, we don’t have subsidies. 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.
The ministers also attended a meeting of the Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee and met with the refinery’s Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Contractors during their visit.
