The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari has declared that the Port Harcourt refinery will begin to deliver refined petroleum products in August while that of Kaduna and Warri will commence by December, insisting that they were not lying to the nation.
Kyari while speaking on Monday in Abuja when he appeared before Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East led National Assembly joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Finance during an emergency session on the state of the economy, promised that by the end of the year, Nigeria will be a net exporter of petroleum products.
Recall that Mele Kyari had said in March this year shortly after meeting with the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Turnaround Maintenance of the country’s four refineries that the Port Harcourt refinery will begin to deliver refined petroleum products in two weeks.
He had disclosed then that the rehabilitation of the refinery had been completed, having passed its “completion mechanical” procedure.
However on Tuesday, he said, “Let me explain this very clearly. We did have mechanical completion of the Port Harcourt refinery, which means that every technical work that is required to get the refinery to work has been completed. This is what we announced December last year, if you recall.
“Once you are mechanically completed for an existing refinery, even for new ones, there are several technical steps that you have to take when you are introducing hydrocarbon into this plant.
“It is only then that you will see the real challenges of even a new refinery. And I can confirm to you today that we have gone through this,” he said.
He continued, “We are already introducing hydrocarbon under a hot situation, that’s what we call it. And I’m very sure that latest by early August, the Port harcourt refinery will start producing products.
“And of course, the new one will get to December. And Warri will also be in production. I’m very optimistic,” he assured.
“I don’t have any confirmation at this moment, so that nobody quotes me and says, oh, you keep lying. No, we’re not lying to you, Bola Tinubu. This is a technical process,”he stated.
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