The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, has said the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations in two weeks.
Kyari, who appeared before the Senate ad-hoc committee investigating the various Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) projects of the Nigerian refineries, said over 450, 000 barrels of oil had been stocked into the Port Harcourt refinery.
In an interview with newsmen after briefing the senators, Kyari said the mechanical works have been completed on the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, stressing that the Kaduna refinery would commence operations in December this year.
He said, “We are serving this country with honour and dignity. And we will make sure that the promises we make for the rehabilitation of these refineries will come true.
“We did a mechanical completion of the refinery; that was what we said in December. We now have crude oil already stocked in the refinery. We are doing regulartory compliance test that must happen in every refinery before you start it, and I assure you that this Port Harcourt refinery will start in the next two weeks.
“Completing the mechanical work means that you are done with the rehabilitation work, now you have to test it to see how it works. Of course, we have also completed the mechanical work on the Warri refinery. It is also undergoing regulatory compliance; processes that we are doing with our regulator, and this will soon be completed and it will be ready.
“Kaduna refinery will be ready by December. We have not reached that stage in Kaduna, but we promise Kaduna will be delivered by December.
“Lastly, all the crude lines supplying crude to Port Harcourt and Warri are very active, and we have delivered over 450, 000 barrels of oil into the Port Harcourt refinery. We are confident in its integrity. There may be security issues, but government is responding to that.”
On his part, the chairman of the committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (APC, Anambra South), said, the next step is for the committee to visit the refineries to ascertain the level of work done.