Oscarline Onwuemenyi 16 January 2015, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Federal Government has announced plans to construct three 25 megawatts gas turbines at Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) to improve production.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ohi Alegbe on Thursday, and made available to journalists in Abuja.
According to the statement, the gas turbines will be installed and operated by an independent power producer, to boost productivity through uninterrupted power supply at the refinery.It further stated that the turbines to be installed had the capacity to generate 72 megawatts of power, exceeding the amount of megawatts required by PHRC.
“The arrangement with the independent power producers is aimed at ensuring steady power supply to the refinery.
“With the installation, PHRC would focus majorly on the core mandate of refining petroleum products for members of the public,” it stated.
The Group Executive Director, Refining and Petrochemical of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Engr. Gregory Udoh disclosed that the initiative is part of pragmatic measures to ensure continuous and unimpeded refining of petroleum products in PHRC.
Engr. Udoh said the arrangement with the independent power producers was aimed at ensuring steady power supply to the refinery adding that staff of PHRC would now focus majorly on the core mandate of refining petroleum products for members of the public.
He further noted that over 60 percent of the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) materials have been delivered to PHRC, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and installation of such equipment and parts are in progress.
The GED noted that crude supply to the PHRC was now through marine vessels, bypassing the implacable activities of oil thieves along the Bonny to PHRC crude supply pipeline.
Speaking in similar vein, the Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited, Engr. Bafred Enjugu has said that the turnaround maintenance of the refinery is ongoing and the facility is running optimally.
Engr. Enjugu noted that as at today, the plant is refining premium motor spirit, dual purpose kerosene, automotive gas oil and other petroleum products.
Engr. Enjugu stated that the Company through public private partnership arrangement has resolved the power problem of the facility adding that the three gas turbines installed by the partnership have the capacity to generate 72 megawatts of power which exceeds the 23 megawatts requirement of PHRC.
On his part, the Executive Director Services of the PHRC, Mr. Ralph Ugwu maintained that the PHRC remains the oldest, largest and newest refinery in the country.
It would be recalled that in 2011, the decision was made to rehabilitate all refineries using the Original Refinery Builder (ORG) but the ORBs declined participation which led to a phased rehabilitation of all refineries, simultaneously and in more easily manageable bits and packages over a period of 18 months.
