The Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, Ltd has fulfilled its pledge of achieving the mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on Area 5 Plant of the Port Harcourt Refining Company ,PHRC.
The Old Port Harcourt Refinery, Area 5, has been undergoing restoration for more than two years, and NNPC Ltd. promised to finish Phase One of the project—mechanical completion and flare start-up—by December 31, 2023.
Speaking at the 15th Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee Meeting and during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation project, Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., stated that as of December 15, 2023, 77.4% of the rehabilitation project have been completed and 84.4% of the important Area 5 Plant have been completed.
We committed to completing phase one of the rehabilitation project mechanically by the end of December and starting the other plants by 2024 in order to make sure this refinery is re-streamed and continues to provide value to Nigerians. We have adhered to those commitments as of today,” Kyari said.
The GCEO expressed his appreciation to the employees of NNPC Ltd. and the EPCIC contractors for their outstanding work in making sure the refinery reached that noteworthy milestone.
Chief Pius Akinyelure, the chairman of the NNPC Ltd. Board, called the milestone “historic” in his remarks and emphasized the board’s pride in the refinery’s management and workforce.
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“We have only just begun. In order to provide comfort to our people and increase national revenue, we aim to maintain stable petroleum prices by operating at maximum production levels, as stated by Akinyelure.
The Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, also spoke during the event and stated that the achievement is a significant step forward for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,’s renewed hope agenda.
He expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their endurance and faith in NNPC Ltd.’s ability to complete this massive project.
As cooking gas, or liquefied petroleum gas, is a significant byproduct of the refinery, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated in his speech that the reopening of the refinery will be positive for the country’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry.
Speaking at the same event was Fabio Del Cioppo, Managing Director of Tecnimont Nig. Ltd., one of the EPC Contractors for the Rehabilitation Project, who stated that his organization is still dedicated to carrying out the obligations of the contract.
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The $1.5 billion PHRC rehabilitation project is an example of an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning project. Engineering, procurement, construction, and installation for Area 5 are all finished. The Construction and Installation phases are concluded with the mechanical completion.
More significantly, the accomplishment of the milestone was made possible by an exceptional record in terms of Health, Safety, and Environment , which included over 9.5 million manhours with no Lost Time Injury .
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