Warri refinery is back to production after a decade of closures, Tinubu commends NNPC

NNPC has said it had resumed some operations at its Warri oil refinery after almost a decade of shutdowns, one of a string of long-running failures that have left Africa’s largest crude exporter importing most of its fuel. Meanwhile President Bola Tinubu has expressed joy over the re-opening of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL). Mr Tinubu described it as another remarkable achievement in 2024 that had strengthened Nigerians’ hope in his administration, Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, said in a statement. “Today, the Warri Refinery returned to operation weeks after NNPC Ltd. restarted the 60,000 barrels per day at the Port Harcourt Refinery in November.
President Tinubu has once again expressed his administration’s determination to ramp up local refining capacity and make Nigeria a hub for downstream industrial activities in Africa,” he said. He said the All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had awarded the contract for the complete rehabilitation and overhaul of the four state-owned refineries. Mr Tinubu noted that with the 125,000 (bpd) Warri Refinery now operating at 60 per cent capacity, his administration’s comprehensive plan to ensure energy efficiency and security was on course. He praised the Mele Kyari-led management of the NNPCL for working hard to restore Nigeria’s glory and pride as a major oil-producing country. “The restart of Warri Refinery today brings joy and gladness to me and Nigerians. This will further strengthen the hope and confidence of Nigerians for a greater and better future that we promised. This development is a remarkable way to end the year following the feat recorded earlier with the old Port Harcourt Refinery. I am equally happy that NNPCL is implementing my directive to restore all four refineries to good working condition.
The government has promised to revive its moribund refineries which have been hit by years of neglect, damage and accusations of mismanagement. “This plant is running. We have not completed 100%,” Mele Kyari, head of NNPC, said during a tour of the facility with government officials, regulators and journalists. The 125,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery – whose closure in 2015 was blamed on disrepair and crude shortages – was now running at 60% capacity, according to a statement signed by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga. Four state-owned refineries with a combined capacity of 445,000 bpd – the 110,000 bpd Kaduna plant in the north and three units in the oil-rich Niger Delta including Warri, have been closed for years. Last month, NNPC – the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – said it had revived the 60,000 bpd Port Harcourt refinery in the Niger Delta. It had planned to revive all four this year. A privately-owned 650,000 bpd Dangote oil refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos started operations this year.