Refineries to operate at full blast next year – NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured that three refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna will achieve optimal capacity utilization come the year 2017.

To achieve that feat, NNPC is set to embark on a comprehensive rehabilitation of the affected refineries.

The Chief Operating Officer, COO, Refineries of the NNPC, Mr. Anibor Kragha gave the assurance while speaking at the Annual General Meetings of the three refineries in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that the Corporation was determined to move away from the approach of quick fixes and undertake a comprehensive revamp of the plants.

“The plan for next year is to get the comprehensive rehabilitation programme done. 

“The situation is like having three cars in your garage that have not been maintained for 15 to 20 years while you expect optimal performance from them. 

“Changing one fuel pump here, one compressor there is not helpful. 

“What we are doing now is to step back and take a holistic approach and do a full rehabilitation of all the refineries,” Kragha stated.

He noted that once the exercise was achieved, the refineries in due course would draw up a chart for routine Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) Programme as for and when due.

Kragha reiterated the earlier plan to have other refineries co-located with the existing refineries. 

He explained that though the plan was still on course, none of the projected co-location refineries would come on stream in 2017 based on existing timeline for the assemblage of the plants.

On the plan by Port Harcourt Refinery to commence the production of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATK) for domestic consumption, the COO enthused that the refinery was a few steps away from hitting the mark.

“We are very close; we have done tests with some of the key marketers. 

“We have achieved all the parameters, we just want to be 110 percent certain,” he said.

The Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company, Mallam Idi Mukhtar Maiha also remarked on the efforts by Kaduna Refinery to that effect.

He said KRPC was assiduously working towards a target of 75 percent capacity utilization in the New Year based on projected supply of one cargo of crude oil per month.

The Managing Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, Engr. Solomon Ladenegan also made presentation during the company’s AGM.

He noted that despite the hostile operating environment fraught with incessant cases of pipeline pulverization and outright product theft, the refinery was looking forward to better days ahead.

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