The Minister of State for Petroleum. Timipre Sylva says the Port Harcourt refinery will be ready for operations by the first quarter of 2023.
Sylva said this while fielding questions from newsmen after facility tour in Eleme, Rivers on Tuesday.
In 2021, the federal executive council approved the sum of $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the refinery
According to the minister, the plant would refine 60,000 barrels of crude per stream day (bpsd) when it commences operations.
“This project kicked off second quarter last year, and where they are now is quite impressive. It is on schedule,” Sylva said.
“The commitment is to deliver 60,000 barrels per day from this refinery by the first quarter of next year, and, of course, we are quite happy.
The minister assured that the federal government would end all forms of illegal oil bunkering going on in the Niger Delta
He also said the federal government modular refinery programme is ongoing and urged the public to take advantage of it.
He, however, said the modular refinery should be separated from the illegal oil refining taking place in the Niger Delta, resulting in the soot pandemic in Port Harcourt and its environs.
PHOTO NEWS
Today in Port Harcourt, the HMSPR, Chief Timipre Sylva & the #NNPC Board of Directors were on an official visit of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (#PHRC) Ltd. During the tour, the HM & members of the BoD inspected work progress of the #PHRC Rehabilitation Project. pic.twitter.com/vBJJabndgt
— NNPC Limited (@nnpclimited) April 12, 2022
“When people begin to equate modular refinery with the criminality that is going, I think they don’t go together,” the minister said.
“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.
“We must stop that activity by law enforcement and that has started. The programme of starting a modular refinery had always been on.
The minister visited alongside Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari
