About 10 years after it shut down operations, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company has resumed partial production.
This marks a significant step in Nigeria’s quest for functional local refineries.
WRPC, which had been inactive since 2015 due to prolonged repairs, reportedly began refining activities last Saturday at its Area 1 plant, where crude oil was successfully pumped into the system.
This was coming one month after the 60,000-barrel-per-day old Port Harcourt Refinery resumed operations.
NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, announced the resumption of operation at the Warri Refinery during a tour of the facility on Monday.
Kyari was seen in a video posted by Channels TV addressing a tour team, which included the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed.
Kyari had earlier explained that the inspection aimed to show Nigerians the level of work completed so far, adding that though the repairs on the facility were not 100 per cent complete, operations had commenced.
The NNPCL boss said, “We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. Although it is not 100 per cent complete, we are still in the process. 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.”
