NNPCL maintains December deadline for Port Harcourt refinery

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has reaffirmed its commitment to finish the mechanical work on the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC) by the end of December.

The NNPCL Chief Communications Officer Olufemi Soneye said that the deadline was still valid and no changes had occurred.

“We have said from time that by the end of December, the mechanical completion of the refinery will be completed. Yes, we are still maintaining that. Nothing has changed,” Soneye told The Nation yesterday.

Soneye had previously stated on November 6, 2023, that the NNPCL was confident about the completion of the refurbishment this month. He explained that the contractors had assured the oil company that nothing had disrupted the completion date.

He added: “What they (contractors) said is that all things working well, the refineries will be working in December and January.

“That is what has been there and that is what the contractors have said. And we are working on that timeline.

“And as NNPC, we are going around on every milestone we are pushing out information. So, we are working on that December/January.

You know I am not the contractor, my own is to report.

“The assurance we have is that December/January, the refineries will be working.

“And nothing has happened as of now to change that or to move it forward so we are on course.

“If anything changes, I will defer to you that this is going to happen. But in terms of the timeline, the timeline is still on course.”