NNPC Completes Rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery, Brings Hope to Nigerians

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) has successfully achieved the mechanical completion of the rehabilitation work on Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State, fulfilling its pledge after over two years of ongoing work. As of December 15th, 2023, NNPC Ltd has completed 84.4% of Area 5 plant and 77.4% of the entire rehabilitation project.

During an inspection tour of the rehabilitation project, Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, expressed satisfaction with the progress. He stated that the promise to reach mechanical completion of the phase one of the rehabilitation project by the end of December had been kept, and the goal is to get the other plants running by the last quarter of 2024.

Chief Pius Akinyelure, the Chairman of NNPC Ltd Board, commended the staff and management of the refinery, emphasizing the historic significance of the facility’s resuscitation. He expressed the board’s ambition to achieve the highest level of production to stabilize petroleum prices in the country and generate more revenue.

Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), described the Port Harcourt refinery as another landmark project of the renewed hope agenda. He expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their patience and trust in the NNPC Ltd’s ability to deliver on the project.

Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), highlighted the positive impact of re-streaming the refinery on the nation’s Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry. He noted that LPG, a major by-product of the refinery, would benefit from the facility’s rehabilitation.

The PHRC rehabilitation project, costing about $1.5bn, is an EPCIC project covering Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning phases. The mechanical completion symbolizes the closure of the construction and installation phases, signifying an important milestone in the project.

This achievement was made possible under an excellent Health Safety and Environment (HSE) record, with over 9.5 million man-hours worked and zero Loss Time Injury (LTI). The completion of the rehabilitation work on Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refinery is a significant step towards revitalizing the refinery and delivering value to the people of Nigeria.