Federal government of Nigeria says the Port Harcourt refinery will begin operations by December 2023.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (oil), Heineken Lokpobiri in Port Harcourt disclosed this during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Limited plant on Friday.
Lokpobiri’s assurance follows a similar statement by President Bola Tinubu earlier this month.
According to the spokesperson for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Garba Deen Muhammad in a statement, the minister said the plant would be back on stream by December this year, considering the level of progress recorded in the PHRC rehabilitation project.
Lokpobiri said the objective of the tour was to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation.
Muhammad quoted Lokpobiri as saying, “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.”
Meanwhile, the Minister said he was satisfied with the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt refinery.
Lokpobiri pointed out that once all the refineries become operational, Nigerians will benefit from a better supply of petroleum products and domesticated foreign exchange, which will boost the country’s economy.
Also speaking at the tour, Minister of State for Petroleum (gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo said petrol is very vital to Nigeria’s economy.
Hence, Ekpo said all hands must be on deck to ensure that the refineries are working.
On his part, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC, Mele Kyari, said bringing back the refineries to their optimal levels is a national aspiration, adding that the company remains focused on delivering that.
Kyari said, “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.”
The Minister assured that by next year, the country will be a net exporter of petroleum products.
