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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has said that lifting of petroleum products from Port Harcourt Refinery has commenced immediately.
The national oil firm said trucks have began to load petroleum products, which include Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel and Household Kerosene (HHK) or Kerosene, from the refinery on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, following the commencement of operations after more than three years of rehabilitation of the facility.
The rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery began in 2021. The contractor overseeing the project, Maire Tecnimont SpA, had been working on the facility since a $1.5 billion contract was signed in April 2021.
“The NNPC Ltd. has fulfilled its pledge of re-streaming the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), signaling the commencement of crude oil processing from the plant and delivery of petroleum products into the market.
“On Tuesday, trucks began loading petroleum products which include Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel and Household Kerosene (HHK) or Kerosene, while other product slates will be dispatched as well,” the NNPCL said in a statement signed by its chief corporate communications officer, Olufemi Soneye.
Speaking during a brief ceremony to mark the commencement of products loading at the Refinery on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Group CEO of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, described the commencement of the loadout activities as a monumental achievement for Nigeria which signifies a new era of energy independence and economic growth for the country.
The GCEO particularly thanked President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support and understanding towards the rehabilitation project and for his persistence to ensure energy security for the country. Kyari also expressed deep appreciation to the NNPC Ltd Board of Directors and the entire staff for their support and commitment, which crystallised into the streaming of the refinery.
He also commended the contractors for doing a great job in ensuring that the refinery was delivered despite all challenges.
Kyari further thanked Nigerians for their patience and for the legitimate expectations on the company to deliver on the other refineries.
In his remarks, the chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, congratulated the NNPC Ltd for the milestone and assured of his agency’s continued support towards the completion of rehabilitation work at the other refineries.
The PHRC rehabilitation project was an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation & Commissioning (EPCIC) project that is aimed at restoring the refinery to full functionality and renewal. It has achieved over 16 million manhours with zero Loss Time Injury (LTI).
The refinery, with a production capacity of 210,000 barrels per day (bpd), is set to provide approximately 10.2 million liters of petrol daily.
