The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has announced the commencement of operations at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), a facility with a capacity of 125,000 barrels per day. This development comes less than a month after the old Port Harcourt Refinery resumed operations.
NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, disclosed this during a facility tour on Monday. Accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, Kyari emphasized that although repairs are not fully completed, the refinery has begun functioning.
Progress Amid Skepticism
Kyari addressed doubts about the project, stating, “Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real.”
The Warri Refinery, located in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji areas of Delta State, has resumed partial operations while continuing upgrades. The facility, commissioned in 1978, is managed by NNPCL and was designed to cater to markets in Nigeria's southern and southwestern regions.
Key Outputs and Future Targets
The petrochemical plant is expected to produce:
- 13,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTA)of polypropylene
- 18,000 MTA of carbon black
Mechanical completion of the repairs was initially scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. However, operations have commenced ahead of this timeline, demonstrating significant progress.
Nigeria’s Refinery Network
The WRPC is one of Nigeria’s four refineries, alongside:
- The old and new Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State
- The Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State
This milestone is seen as a critical step in reducing Nigeria's dependence on imported petroleum products and boosting the country's downstream oil sector.
