The Tropical Struggles

Blame NNPCL if Port Harcourt, Warri refineries don’t resume operation in December – Lokpobiri

Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum (oil), has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited should be held responsible if the deadline for rehabilitating Port Harcourt and Warri crude oil refineries fails. The Minister disclosed this to journalists after the recent ministers’ retreat in Abuja. Speaking on the completion of rehabilitation of the refineries and the December 2023 deadline, he stressed that NNPCL had assured him that phase 1 of the work would be delivered. He added that other phases of the refinery rehabilitation would be achieved by next year. He emphasized the need to boost crude oil production capacity in the country. The Minister and NNPCL have consistently insisted that December 2023 is the deadline for the resumption of operation of Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).