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…Says fuel importation in Nigeria to end soon
By Emmanuel Ovundah, Port Harcourt
The Federal Government has reassured that the December 2023 target for the completion of rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery remains sacrosanct.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Oil, Heineken Lokpobiri gave the assurance while addressing Journalists in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Lokpobiri, who was on a working visit to the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Eleme, Rivers State, to ascertain the level of rehabilitation work at the refinery said Nigeria will end importation of fuel next year, 2024.
The Minister who was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo said the rehabilitation works which was approved for $1.5bn when completed by the end of this year will produce up to 60,000 barrels of crude per day.
He expressed satisfaction at the level of works done at the Port Refinery noting that the essence of the inspection was to ensure the timely completion of the project and other refineries across the country on the scheduled dates.
He said, “The essence of today’s inspection is to see the extent of work done at the Port Harcourt Refinery and we are happy with the level of work done here.
“From what we have seen here, we believe the project will be completed as scheduled. The Port Harcourt Refinery will fully come on board by the end of this year, 2023. That of Warri will start operating by the first quarter of next year and then, Kaduna will come on stream towards the end of next year.
“The Port Harcourt Refinery when completed is expected to produce about fifty four (54) to sixty (60) barrels per day, while Warri refinery which will also come on stream by February, 2024 will produce 75 barrels of oil per day. If we add that to Dangote refinery we will be able to stop fuel importation and Nigeria can now have the benefits of full deregulation.
“We will be going round all the refineries in the country, from Port Harcourt, we will go to Warri, to Kaduna. We will also go to Dangote refinery to see the level of work there.
“Our objective is to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation and that is why we are here, and we are satisfied with what we are seeing.
“Nigerians should expect better supply of fuel and better economy. But I can assure you that Nigeria will have a better deal in this renewed hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, he said.
On his part, the Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo said, the government is very desperate about gas production and generation of power supply in the country.He noted that the government is also committed to ending gas flaring in the country.
“You know gas is very important and we have it in abundance. So, the issue of gathering the gas to generate power supply and other areas that would need gas in the country is very important.
“The government is very desperate about it as it will bring in foreign investors to invest in the gas sector.
“With the briefing we have received today, there is hope for Nigeria that gas flaring will stop and gas generation will increase, and with that we will have uninterrupted power supply in the country.”
