Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPC Ltd says test runs at the 60,000-bpd Port Harcourt refinery will be completed this month.
Gatekeepers News reports that Reuters quoted NNPC spokesperson, Femi Soneye, as saying, “Testing will conclude shortly, ensuring the refinery’s efficient operation. That phase will be completed this month.”
Soneye added that the test run was a major step towards resuming operations five years after the plant was shut.
In December, NNPC Ltd announced that the mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on the Area-5 Plant of the facility.
The state-owned oil company said the first phase of the plant had been completed, as the facility would start refining 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily after the Christmas break.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, had stated that the first phase of the PHRC was completed on December 20, 2023, adding that refined products’ production would commence after the Yuletide.
The facility, once functional is expected to ease the pressure on the country’s foreign exchange alongside the Dangote Refinery.
Though the cost of refined products would reduce once these facilities start pumping, experts and downstream operators stated it would not lead to a massive price crash.
