Contractor to provide update on PH refinery ‘before October 2’

Maire Tecnimont SpA, the contractor in charge of the Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation, says it will provide information on the completion date on or before October 2.

The Italian company spoke through Olajide Oyewole LLP, a law firm, in a letter to Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer.

Falana had written to the company, requesting information on the completion date of the rehabilitation.

In response to Falana’s request, Olajide Oyewole LLP said its client has instructed the law firm “to let you know that they have received your letters dated 17 and 24 September 2024 requesting for information on the contract between our client and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd”.

“Our client is considering your letters and they intend to get back to you on or before 2 October 2024,” the law firm said.

On April 6, 2021, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Tecnimont, signed a $1.5 billion engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery.

Timipre Sylva, former minister of state for petroleum, had said the rehabilitation will be done in three phases of 18, 24 and 44 months.

However, there have been delays in the completion despite the NNPC announcing on December 21, 2023, that it has completed the mechanical phase of the turnaround maintenance at the Port Harcourt refinery and that the refinery was ready.

On March 15, Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the NNPC, said the refinery would begin production by the end of the month, however, the refinery failed to commence production.

Setting a new deadline, Kyari said the refinery would begin operations in early August, but production has not commenced.

On September 5, Adedapo Segun, executive vice-president, downstream, NNPC, said despite mechanically completing the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery in December 2023, accurate measures still need to be taken to ensure safety.

Segun said if NNPC discovers a situation that will affect the safe operation of the refinery, the national oil company can not go ahead with production just because a date has been given.