The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) has announced that the test run for the Port Harcourt refinery is expected to be completed this month, marking a significant step toward resuming operations after a five-year shutdown. The spokesperson for the company, Femi Soneye, disclosed this on Thursday, January 4, 2024.
Upon completion of the test run, the Port Harcourt refinery is set to process approximately 60,000 barrels of refined petroleum products daily, supplying about 12 states. The refinery aims to reach a total capacity of 210,000 barrels per day by 2024. The Port Harcourt facility is one of Nigeria’s four refineries that has been inactive for years, and the government is making efforts to revive them to reduce the country’s reliance on imported refined products.
The Port Harcourt refinery is part of the six refineries expected to come online this year, contributing to the overall goal of revitalizing the nation’s oil industry. Additionally, the Dangote refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is set to commence operations later this month. The $20 billion refinery, located in the Lekki area of Lagos, has already received about four million consignments of crude oil, with the fifth consignment expected soon.
These developments represent significant strides in the oil and gas sector, signaling progress in the efforts to enhance local refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.
