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By Akeem Atoyebi
Nearly two months into the September completion deadline flop, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said it could not deliver the much-awaited Port Harcourt Refinery Company.
NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye recently noted that the company encountered risks and challenges while carrying out the rehabilitation, being a brownfield project.
He noted that the NNPC began the commissioning of critical equipment and processing units after the mechanical completion in Nigeria.
“You may recall that mechanical completion of the PHRC revamp was successfully achieved several months ago, marking a significant milestone in the project. Following this, we began the commissioning of critical equipment and process units.
“However, as is common with brownfield projects of this scale and complexity, we encountered unforeseen risks and challenges,” he stated.
Soneye stressed that work is being carried out to ensure the project’s completion.
“These issues have since been effectively resolved, and commissioning activities have resumed.
“Work is being carried out around the clock to ensure the successful completion of this critical project,” he told our correspondent.
The moribund Port Harcourt refinery is one of three owned by the Federal Government and managed by the NNPC.
Nigerians have been hopeful that the cost of fuel could crash if the country refines its crude and ends the import of refined products.
The NNPC said last week that it would continue to import fuel, saying it was not the sole off-taker of petrol at the Dangote refinery.
The refinery, situated in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, has been in operation since 1965, but later became moribund for several years.
In March 2021, the Nigerian government acquired a $1.5bn loan for the renovation and modernisation of the refinery, but the contractor handling the project has yet to announce its completion.
