Why Port Harcourt refinery has not taken off – NNPCL

The Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC) has given reasons why it could not deliver the much-awaited Port Harcourt Refinery Company.

This comes barely two months after the September completion deadline flop.

In an interview with Punch, the NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, explained that the company encountered risks and challenges while carrying out the rehabilitation, being a brownfield project.

He noted that the NNPC began the commissioning of critical equipment and processing units after the mechanical completion in Nigeria.

“You may recall that mechanical completion of the PHRC revamp was successfully achieved several months ago, marking a significant milestone in the project. Following this, we began the commissioning of critical equipment and process units.

“However, as is common with brownfield projects of this scale and complexity, we encountered unforeseen risks and challenges,” he stated.

Nonetheless, he told The PUNCH that the issues were resolved and commissioning activities have resumed.

Soneye stressed that work is being carried out to ensure the project’s completion.