By Adewale Sanyaolu
To achieve optimal capacity utilisation, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is set to embark on a comprehensive rehabilitation of the nation’s three refineries.
The refineries are located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna states.
Speaking at the Annual General Meetings of the three refineries in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Refineries of the NNPC, Mr. Anibor Kragha, stated that the corporation was determined to move away from the approach of quick fixes and undertake a comprehensive revamp of the plants.
“The plan for next year is to get the comprehensive rehabilitation programme done. The situation is like having three cars in your garage that have not been maintained for 15 to 20 years while you expect optimal performance from them. Changing one fuel pump here, one compressor there is not helpful. What we are doing now is to step back and take a holistic approach and do a full rehabilitation of all the refineries,” Kragha stated.
He noted that once the exercise is achieved, the refineries would draw up a chart for routine Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) programme when due.
On the earlier plan to have other refineries co-located with the existing refineries, Kragha explained that though the plan was still on course, none of the projected co-location refineries would come on stream in 2017 based on existing timeline for assemblage of the plants.
On the plan by Port Harcourt Refinery to commence the production of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATK) for domestic consumption, the COO stated that the refinery was a few steps away from hitting the mark.
“We are very close; we have done tests with some of the key marketers. We have achieved all the parameters, we just want to be 110 per cent certain,’’ he said.
Earlier in his remark, the Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company, Mallam Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said KRPC was assiduously working towards a target of 75 per cent capacity utilisation in 2017 based on projected supply of one cargo of crude oil per month.
On his part, Managing Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, Mr. Solomon Ladenegan, in his presentation at the AGM noted that despite the hostile operating environment fraught with incessant cases of pipeline pulverisation and outright product theft, the refinery was looking forward to better days ahead.