…as NNPC Successfully Revamp Warri Refinery Resumes Operations, Produces 125,000 Barrels Per Day
By Rashidat Olushola Okunlade
The Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) in Delta State has resumed full operations, producing 125,000 barrels per day.
Mele Kyari, Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), disclosed this during a tour of the facility on Monday.
Kyari expressed his pride in the project’s success, noting that many Nigerians had doubted its feasibility. “We want you to see that this is real,” he said, emphasizing the plant’s current operational status.
The facility, located in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji, Warri, produces 13,000 tons of polypropylene and 18,000 tons of other petroleum products. Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), was among the team that toured the facility.
The successful revamp of the Warri Refinery is a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to boost domestic refining capacity and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.
The development comes a month after the Port Harcourt refinery commenced operations.
The 125,000 barrels per day (bpd)-capacity of Warri Refinery had been shut down for years due to technical issues.
In August 2021, the Federal Executive Council approved the contract award for rehabilitating Warri and Kaduna Refineries at $1.5 billion.
In August 2023, Nigeria President Bola Tinubu’s administration assured that the Warri refinery would come on stream by the end of the first quarter 2024. Kaduna would also come on board towards the end of 2024.
On Monday, Mr Kyari explained that the refinery is not fully completed.
“We are taking you through our plant. You see the reality yourself. This plant is running. We have not completed 100 per cent. We are stimulating the other part of the plant as we progress. But currently, this plant is running. You will see what is happening now and we are bringing products to the market.
“There are many people who don’t think this is real. As you all know a lot of media talk all over the place that people don’t believe real things can happen in our country. We believe that this is right for our country, and all of us have a stake, including the media, so this can become a greater place as it is already happening. I just want you to know that everything you see is real,” Mr Kyari said.
