The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has officially announced the commencement of operations at the 125,000-barrel-per-day Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) in Warri, Delta State. This comes just weeks after the successful launch of the 60,000-barrel-per-day Port Harcourt Refinery.
NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, revealed the news during a tour of the facility, which was attended by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed. Kyari noted that although the facility is not yet fully completed, operations have already begun, emphasizing the achievement’s significance.
“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,” Kyari explained.
Located in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji, Warri, the WRPC is integral to Nigeria’s refining capacity. The facility produces 13,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTA) of polypropylene and 18,000 MTA of carbon black. Originally commissioned in 1978, it serves markets across Nigeria’s southern and southwestern regions.
While the mechanical completion of the refinery was initially expected by the first quarter of 2024, NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye confirmed that progress is on track. The WRPC joins Nigeria’s other major refineries, including those in Port Harcourt and Kaduna, under NNPCL’s management.
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