Warri Refinery commences production of AGO, Kerosene
…Refinery operating at 60% capacity — Kyari
…Our plan to ensure energy efficiency and security on course — President Tinubu
By Seun Ibiyemi
The Warri Refinery has started producing Automated Gas Oil (AGO) and kerosene, a major step towards increasing the country’s refining capacity and reducing reliance on imported fuel.
With the reopening, the refinery is expected to focus on production and storage of critical products, including Straight Run Kerosene (SRK), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and heavy and light Naphtha.
The refinery will now join that of Port Harcourt and the Dangote Refineries to ease supply of petroleum products and save foreign exchange.
The Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga in a statement, said Tinubu applauded that the Warri Refinery returned to operation weeks after NNPC Limited restarted the 60,000 barrels per day at the Port Harcourt Refinery in November.
With Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) going into operation after several years of inactivity, President Tinubu has once again expressed his administration’s determination to ramp up local refining capacity and make Nigeria a hub for downstream industrial activities in Africa.
“The All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari awarded the contract for the complete rehabilitation and overhaul of the four state-owned refineries,” the statement revealed.
President Tinubu noted with confidence that with the 125,000 (bpd) Warri Refinery now operating at 60% capacity, his administration’s comprehensive plan to ensure energy efficiency and security is entirely on course.
The President praised the Mele Kyari-led management of the NNPCL for working hard to restore Nigeria’s glory and pride as a major oil-producing country.
“The restart of Warri Refinery today brings joy and gladness to me and Nigerians. This will further strengthen the hope and confidence of Nigerians for a greater and better future that we promised.
Tinubu described the development as a “remarkable way to end the year following the feat recorded earlier with the old Port Harcourt Refinery” adding that “I am equally happy that NNPC Limited is implementing my directive to restore all four refineries to good working condition.
“I congratulate Mele Kyari and his team at NNPCL for working hard to restore our national pride and make Nigeria a hub for crude oil refining in Africa,” President Tinubu said.
President Tinubu enjoined NNPCL to accelerate repair work on Kaduna Refinery and the 150,000 (bpd) second refinery in Port Harcourt to consolidate Nigeria’s position as a global energy provider.
…Refinery operating at 60% capacity — Kyari
Meanwhile, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has revealed that the Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company (WRPC), with a capacity of 125,000 barrels per day, has resumed operations at 60 per cent capacity in Warri, Delta State.
This update was shared by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned oil company, Mele Kyari during a visit to the facility on Monday.
Addressing his team before commencing the tour, Kyari said, “We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. Although it is not 100 per cent complete, we are still in the process. Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real.”
Situated in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji areas of Warri, the petrochemical plant has an annual production capacity of 13,000 metric tons of polypropylene and 18,000 metric tons of carbon black. Commissioned in 1978, the WRPC is operated by the NNPC and was established to cater to the markets in Nigeria’s southern and southwestern regions.
Kyari said: “I must congratulate our team for their determination and extreme belief that this company can restart this plant.
“This has brought the result we are seeing in collaboration with our contractors. We have proved that it is possible to restart a plant that you deliberately shut down. We have proven this.
“This plant has three stages. We have started stage one which is called Area 1, able to produce AGO (diesel), Kerosene, naphtha and others. These are brands of high-quality products required in the country. We will also be able to export them. This country will make money to meet the promises of Mr president that this country will be an exporter of petroleum products.
“I must put on record the development was as a result of the charge by Mr President that we must get all three refineries to work. It is already happening. We have successfully started the Port Harcourt 65, 000 barrels per day refinery. We have also started the area 1 of the Warri refinery. The other plants that will produce PMS will also come live.
“Kaduna is also on stream. We are not going to give you a date but we will surprise you.” The mechanical completion of the facility was initially planned for the first quarter of 2024, according to Olufemi Soneye, the spokesperson for the NNPC.
“Warri should be completed by Q1 2024,” Soneye said. This facility is one of three major refineries in Nigeria, alongside the old and new Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State.
This progress follows the recent initiation of crude refining at the old Port Harcourt Refinery.
