[UPDATED] NNPCL Confirms Warri Refinery Now Operational

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announces the successful commencement of operations at the Warri Refinery, boosting Nigeria’s refining capacity.

The Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) in Warri, Delta State is now operational and producing 125,000 barrels per day.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, revealed this information during a facility tour on Monday.

Before the facility tour commenced, Kyari addressed the team by saying, “We will take you through our plant, which is operational even though it isn’t fully completed yet. Many people doubt such projects are real or feasible in this country. We want to show you that this is indeed a reality.”

I want to applaud our team for their unwavering determination and strong belief in the possibility of restarting this plant.

This has led to the outcomes we’re observing in partnership with our contractors. We’ve demonstrated that it is feasible to restart a plant after an intentional shutdown.

This plant operates in three stages. We have initiated the first stage, known as Area 1, which is capable of producing AGO (diesel), kerosene, naphtha, and other products. These are high-quality brands crucial for our nation’s needs and will also be viable for export. By doing so, this country stands to financially benefit and fulfill Mr. President’s commitment to becoming an exporter of petroleum products.

I need to emphasize that this development stemmed from Mr. President’s directive to make all three refineries operational, and we are seeing progress already. We have successfully started the Port Harcourt refinery with a capacity of 65,000 barrels per day and initiated operations in Area 1 of the Warri refinery as well. The other units responsible for producing PMS will also become operational soon.

“Kaduna is making progress. While we won’t disclose a specific date, expect a pleasant surprise.”

Included in the tour group was Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Situated in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji areas of Warri, the petrochemical plant manufactures 13 million tons per annum (MTA) of polypropylene and 18 MTA of carbon black.

Built to serve the markets in southern and southwestern Nigeria, the WRPC was commissioned in 1978 and is managed by NNPCL.

According to Olufemi Soneye, the spokesperson for NNPCL, the mechanical completion of the facility was initially planned for the first quarter of this year.

He stated that Warri is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2024.

The other two are the Port Harcourt Refining Company, comprising both its old and new facilities in Rivers State, and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company located in Kaduna State.

This development follows the recent start of crude refining at the old Port Harcourt Refinery.