The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has announced that the ongoing fast-track project at the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited is expected to resume operations by the end of 2024.
This information was shared in a statement posted on the official Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s X handle on Saturday.
Lokpobiri made this revelation during an inspection visit to the Kaduna Refinery & Petrochemicals while assessing the advancements in the refinery’s quick-fix project.
The statement read, “Lokpobiri said he is confident that the refinery will be restreamed by the end of 2024, considering the ‘significant level of progress’ he has witnessed on the tour.
“The Minister, who observed that he would continue to hold key players involved in the rehabilitation process of the nation’s refineries accountable, also pledged Federal Government support in ensuring the timely delivery of the project.
“According to the Minister, there is an urgent need to get the refinery back on stream for the nation’s economic prosperity and energy security, which are both paths to sustainable development.”
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, provided assurance to the Minister that the fuel facility at the refinery will be completed by the end of 2024.
He emphasized that a concerted effort is underway to restart the refinery, highlighting that the contractor is already on-site, and the necessary equipment for the quick-fix operations is ready and in position.
Kyari said, “We are very confident that we will get the appropriate financing to get to the end of it, and ultimately, we will start to deliver value to Nigerians again. We plan the quick fix for 60,000 barrels per day so that we can start making money from this plant and continue the other part of the refinery to bring it up to its full-fledged capacity.
“This will also tally with the completion of the Build, Operate, and Transfer on the pipeline so as to have a reliable pipeline delivery infrastructure.”
