PH Refinery To Begin Operations 2023

The Federal Government says the Port Harcourt Refining Company(PHRC) would begin operations by the first quarter of 2023.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, who gave this hint at a one-day tour of the facility, over the weekend noted that the refinery is expected to refine 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day when it commences operations.
“We are committed to completing this project on schedule. I have extracted that commitment from the project manager that this project is going to go as scheduled and that by first quarter of next year, at least, 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day would be delivered to Nigerians from the Port Harcourt Refinery”, he said.
While assuring on the Federal Government’s commitment to making the refinery work, the Minister expressed the hope that the issue of fuel scarcity would be adequately addressed when the refinery begins operations.
He noted that the speed of the ongoing rehabilitation work at the refinery was an indication that the country would be refining her crude oil soon.
On her part, the Chairman, Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Board, Mrs. Margery Okadigbo, expressed optimism that when the nation’s refineries begin operations, foreign exchange expenditures would be drastically reduced.
“I think it’s a very welcome development. The sooner we begin to roduce domestically, the sooner we will begin to cut off these foreign exchange expenditures and also bring down cost; and then, maybe one day, we will be able to run away from subsidy”, she said.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa