The Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State has commenced crude oil processing.
This is according to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Femi Soneye.
The finery had missed production deadline seven times before the latest commencement of operations.
The Port Harcourt Refinery has two plants with a combined capacity of 210,000 barrels per day (bpd).
One of the plants, which is the old refinery, was commissioned in 1965, and can process 60,000 bpd.
The new refinery, commissioned in 1989, has a capacity of 150,000 bpd.
However, the refinery has often operated below its design capacity due to a lack of maintenance and inefficient processes.
In 2021, the Nigerian government approved a $1.5 billion refurbishment and modernization project for the refinery complex, which is scheduled to be completed by 2025. NNPCL is also considering transferring the refinery’s operations to private entities.
About The Author
More Stories
Fashola weighs in on Lagos streets renaming, says state’s history must be preserved
Don’t put Nigeria at risk of expanded U.S. visa ban, Customs warns Nigerian travellers
U.S. raises bounty for wanted Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, to $25m over alleged narcotics trafficking