- Recently shut Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, will not be resuming operation any time soon, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Emmanuel Kachikwu has disclosed. The refinery will now resume full production in the first week of November. It has the capacity to process 125, 000 barrels of crude oil per day.
- Kachikwu disclosed this yesterday during facility tour of the refinery and the adjoining Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, Jetty and Depot in Warri, Delta State, According to him, the new date was to enable WRPC carry out temporary maintenance on some facilities explaining that the recent shutdown was due to problem from the Fluid Catalytic Cracking, FCC, Unit at the plant. He said: “WRPC was not shut down because of lack of crude oil supply, neither was crude oil not supply because the refinery was down.
- Kachikwu noted that the country’s refineries would henceforth be given serious attention, especially in the area of consistent maintenance to enhance productivity. “There is a clear cut focus on the refineries to ensure they run consistently, we are beginning to take the refineries seriously to bring them to reliability platforms. By the end of first week of November, the WRPC will be back.
“We will increase internal and external patrol where we have long distance pipelines like the Warri/Escravos. In the next couple of time, we are also going to have tracking device that can track whatever is happening to the pipelines.
“My major goal is that by October, I like to see crude oil pumped by pipelines, rather than marine vessels transferring products into the refinery,” he said.
The two are different things altogether. It makes no sense to supply crude oil that will be sold in the international market to refinery when it is idle. “The Fluid Catalytic Cracking, FCC, Unit had problem and that is why it was shut down. However, they are working assiduously on it.
The reality is that for over 10 and 15 years, no real serious maintenance has been done on the plants.” He charged the management and staff of the company to ensure that the plant is streamed back to full active service within the projected period.
- The GMD said he was ready to provide the management the necessary support to enable them fast track the target time. “So whatever you need to do to get your refinery back on track please do it now because this is the time. It’s a 90 days Fast-Track programme and whatever you need me to do to make that happen, let me know,” he assured.
- Kachickwu also blamed faulty transmission lines as being responsible for gas supply into national grid while dismissing fears that there was shortage of gas in the country. He also enjoined the management of the plant to resuscitate the Petrochemicals plant which was commissioned in March 1988.
