The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. has fulfilled its commitment to achieving the mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on the Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC). This accomplishment marks a significant milestone in the ongoing rehabilitation project, which has been underway for over two years.
According to Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd. Abuja Olufemi O. Soneye, the NNPC Ltd. had previously pledged to complete Phase One of the rehabilitation project, encompassing mechanical completion and flare start-up, for the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5) by December 31, 2023. During an inspection tour coinciding with the 15th Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee Meeting, Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., announced that as of December 15, 2023, 84.4% of the Area 5 Plant and 77.4% of the entire rehabilitation project had been successfully completed.
Mr. Kyari affirmed the commitment of NNPC Ltd. to re-stream the refinery and ensure its continued contribution to the nation’s energy needs. He stated, “In our quest to ensure that this refinery is re-streamed to continue to deliver value to Nigerians, we made a promise that we will reach mechanical completion of phase one of the rehabilitation project by the end of December and get the other plants running in 2024. Today, we have kept those commitments.”
The GCEO praised the NNPC Ltd.’s staff and the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning (EPCIC) contractors for their dedication and contribution to achieving this significant milestone.
Chief Pius Akinyelure, the Chairman of NNPC Ltd Board, described the achievement as “historic” and expressed the board’s pride in the refinery’s staff and management. He emphasized the board’s commitment to achieving the highest level of production to stabilize petroleum prices in the country and generate more revenue.
The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, commended the milestone as part of the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their patience and trust in NNPC Ltd.’s ability to deliver on this substantial project.
Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), highlighted the positive impact of re-streaming the refinery on the nation’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry, considering LPG as a major by-product of the refinery.
Fabio Del Cioppo, Managing Director of Tecnimont Nig. Ltd., one of the EPC Contractors of the Rehabilitation Project, reiterated his company’s commitment to fulfilling the terms of the contract.
The PHRC rehabilitation project, with an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, is an EPCIC initiative covering Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning phases. The successful mechanical completion of Area 5 represents the closure of the Construction and Installation phases. Notably, this achievement was realized with an outstanding Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) record, boasting over 9.5 million manhours with zero Loss Time Injury (LTI).
