Port Harcourt Refinery to Deliver 60,000 barrels/day Next Year.

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CEM REPORT | The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva said the Port Harcourt refinery would refine 60,000 barrels of crude by early next year.

He made the statement on Tuesday after a tour of the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Eleme, Rivers State.

“The commitment is to deliver 60, 000 barrels per day from this refinery by first quarter of next year” – Chief Timipre Sylva.

He also added that the rehabilitation of the facility was on schedule to meet completion date.

“This project kicked off second quarter last year and where they are now is quite impressive” he added.

The contract to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt refinery was approved In March 2021 by the Nigerian Government at the cost of $1.5bn having been closed down two years before approval date. The repair was to follow 3 phases.

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The first phase of the refinery overhaul project was scheduled to complete in 18 months; roughly by September 2022. Government aims to bring the refinery’s production to 90% of its total production capacity.

The Minister also said similar projects were ongoing in various parts of the country. He urged people to take advantage of the Federal Government modular refinery programme.

“Any law-abiding Nigerian who wants to invest in this area can access funding and the licenses from the Federal Government.” he said.

He added that the President had last year inaugurated a modular refinery in Imo State.

He assured that illegal oil bunkering activity perpetrated in the Niger Delta region would soon be put to an end, that the Federal Government is doing all to curb it.

He further said illegal oil refining business going on in the region should be separated from the modular refinery.

“When people begin to equate modular refinery with the criminality that is going, I think they don’t go together.” the minister said.

He further added that the illegal refinery which has resulted to soot in Port Harcourt and other state would not be legalised.

“The criminality should be taken on. What is going on in Port Harcourt and some of these areas causing problem is a criminal activity and we cannot legalise that criminal activity” he said.