The Minister of State for Petroleum (oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has placed the responsibility for the potential failure to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt and Warri crude oil refineries by the December deadline squarely on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Lokpobiri made this statement during a press briefing after the recent ministers’ retreat in Abuja, where he discussed the progress of the refinery rehabilitation projects. He emphasized that NNPCL had given him assurance that phase 1 of the work would be completed by the designated deadline.
While the Minister remained hopeful, he also acknowledged that the subsequent phases of the refinery rehabilitation would be achieved in the following year. His main focus is on increasing the country’s crude oil production capacity.
“The rehabilitation of the refineries was initiated by the previous administration and in line with the President’s directive. I have personally inspected all the refineries, and based on the briefings I received, Port Harcourt refinery has three phases,” Lokpobiri revealed.
“Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the end of this year. However, it is important to note that I am not directly responsible for the rehabilitation process; that task falls under the purview of NNPCL. They have given me their word, and I hold them accountable for meeting their commitments.”
Regarding the Warri refinery, Lokpobiri stated that phase 1 is projected to be ready by the end of this year, and Phases 2 and 3 in Port Harcourt will be completed by next year. The entire Kaduna refinery, on the other hand, is expected to be operational by the end of next year.
“I am holding NNPCL to their promises. I believe that if we can achieve a certain level of rehabilitation by the end of this year, these refineries will enhance our domestic refining capacity,” Lokpobiri asserted.
He further explained that even if the refineries are successfully rehabilitated, their operation would be futile unless there is a sufficient feedstock. Lokpobiri’s challenge lies in increasing production to ensure a reliable supply not only for the major refineries but also for the modular ones. He believes that these smaller refineries hold immense potential as significant job creators.
The Minister and NNPCL have consistently reiterated that the deadline for the resumption of operation for the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) is December 2023.
