The Nigerian National Petroleum Company, (NNPC) Ltd., announced the successful fulfillment of its commitment to achieving mechanical completion in the rehabilitation of the Area 5 Plant at the Port Harcourt Refining Company, PHRC. The extensive rehabilitation efforts at the Port Harcourt Refinery, spanning over two years, aimed at reaching Phase One of the project, including mechanical completion and flare start-up, 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., reported that as of December 15, 84.4% of the Area 5 Plant, a vital component of the refinery, and 77.4% of the overall rehabilitation project have been successfully completed.
Mr. Kyari expressed satisfaction with the progress, stating, “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 a 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.”
Commending the dedicated efforts of the staff and contractors, he highlighted the significant milestone achieved in the refinery’s rehabilitation.
Chief Pius Akinyelure, the Chairman of the NNPC Board, described the accomplishment as “historic” and expressed pride in the refinery’s staff and management. Emphasizing that this marks just the beginning, he conveyed the board’s commitment to reaching the highest level of production to stabilize petroleum prices in the country and generate more revenue.