PH refinery to commence production by March

• Published date: 09 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

The rehabilitation of 60,000 barrels per day Port Harcourt refinery has been completed and will begin production by the first quarter of 2023.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said this at the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration Scorecard (2015 - 2023) in Abuja.

'The rehabilitation of the 60,000 barrels per day is completed and it is going to be started in the first quarter,' he said.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Mele Kyari, explained that it was not practicable to start production in the last quarter of 2022 as promised.

Kyari noted that rehabilitation of refineries takes 42 months from the date of signing its contract.

According to him, since the rehabilitation is done in phases, the plan was to complete the activities by the last quarter of 2022 but it was not achievable.

The NNPC boss, however, said the process was on course.

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Kyari said: 'The total rehabilitation of the refinery will take 42 months from the date of the award of the contract.

'And typical of every refinery rehabilitation, we do them in phases and we promised to start the polyplastic 60,000 barrels per day and complete the activity by the last quarter of 2022.

'But it was not practicable. But we will start it up in the first quarter of 2023.

'Otherwise, every other process is...