Port Hacourt refinery to begin production next month – NNPCL CEO, Kyari reveals

NNPCL CEO Mele Kyari announced that the Port Harcourt refinery will begin production by early August 2024, and the Kaduna refinery will start by December 2024. Speaking at the National Assembly on July 15, Kyari reaffirmed the new August date for the Port Harcourt refinery, initially set for March 2024.

Kyari highlighted the goal for Nigeria to produce two million barrels per day and become a net exporter of petroleum products by December, aided by the Dangote refinery. The Port Harcourt refinery complex, with a capacity of 150,000 bpd, has been dedicated to domestic service due to supply interruptions from other refineries.

“The mechanical work at the Port Harcourt refinery has been completed. Also, crude oil has been sent to the plant. What is being awaited now has to do with licensing and the like. Now, these licenses are given based on some set of time-frames.

“Some officials involved in issuing these licenses are still observing the plant. Some of them came in last month and they are still there checking everything. They will also have to test-run the plant and all this will be at their pace. Most of them are foreigners and you can’t rush them.

“They have their integrity to protect, for if anything contrary happens at the refinery, the officials might be held accountable and their insurance firms would have to pay for any damage. So it is not entirely on our part when it comes to the takeoff of the refinery,” a petroleum ministry official, who spoke in confidence due to lack of authorisation to talk about the matter,to Channels TV