Ayo Jones
(with Agency reports)


Test runs at the 60,000-bpd Port Harcourt refinery will be completed this month, according to sources at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited. The mechanical completion of rehabilitation work on the Area-5 plant of the Refinery was completed last December.
The test run is seen as a major step towards resuming operations five years after the plant was shut down.
“Testing will conclude shortly, ensuring the refinery’s efficient operation. That phase will be completed this month,” NNPC spokesperson Femi Soneye was quoted as saying by Agency reports at the weekend.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, had stated that the first phase of the PHRC was completed on December 20, 2023, adding that refined products’ production would commence after the Christmas break.
“This is to announce to Nigerians that, in fulfillment of our pledge to complete phase one of the Port Harcourt refinery by the end of 2023 and the subsequent streaming of phase two in 2024, we happily announce the mechanical completion of flare start-up on December 20, 2023,” the minister stated.
It is expected that once functional, alongside the Dangote Refinery, which is expected to start oil refining this year, the facility will ease the pressure on the country’s foreign exchangeThough the cost of refined products would reduce once these facilities started pumping, experts and downstream operators stated it would not lead to a massive price crash.