…Says Project to Generate 3,000 Jobs as Construction Work Kicks off
A statement by the
Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Dr. Kennie
Obateru, quoted theNNPC Chief Operating Officer, Refineries &
Petrochemicals, Engr. Mustapha Yakubu, as saying that everything was being done
to ensure that the project is delivered hitch-free and on schedule.
Speaking at the
Technical Kick-off Meeting for the project which held at the Port Harcourt
Refinery Complex, Alesa Eleme, Rivers State,Engr. Yakubu said everything about
the project had been carefully worked out to ensure that the target of at least
90% refining capacity is achieved when operational.
“It must be
hitch-free and that is why we are engaging the host communities appropriately.
200 million Nigerians are looking up to us and we can’t afford to fail. We’ve
been on this journey since 2019,” he said.
The COO disclosed
that the project would require 3,000 workers at the peak of activities,
stressing that out of that number there would be only 70 expatriates while the
balance would be sourced locally in line with the local content policy.
He expressed
gratitude to the Federal Government for approving $1.5 billion for the project.
Speaking earlier
via a message delivered on his behalf by theChief Financial Officer of the
Corporation, Mr. Umar Ajiya, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele
Kyari, assured Nigerians that the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC) would
roar back to life on or before April 5, 2023, when repairs would have been
completed on the old refinery also known as Area 5.
He said the target
was to fix the old refinery first so that local refining can resume as soon as
possible, adding that NNPC management would do everything to support the
contractor, Maire Technimont SPA, to ensure prompt delivery of the project.
“We are happy we
have the contractor onboard. With strong collaboration of all parties involved,
we will achieve the desired results. We have both government and private sector
financing. We have the finance ministry, NEITI, labour unions and other
stakeholders on board this project. They want to see transparency so they can
report same to Nigerians and this is one of the most transparent processes
ever”, he stated
In his
presentation, the Managing Director of PHRC, Engr. Ahmed Dikko, said that all
the process plants have been made hydrocarbon-free to enable the contractor
carry out the rehabilitation work safely.
On his part,the
representative of Maire Technimont SPA, Mr.
Masu Alberto, said that the rehabilitation journey started in 2017 with
integrity test of the refinery. “In 2019, we did work on it and then now. We’re
deploying a good number of engineers”, he said.
He listed some of
the key activities that will be carried out in the project to include
refurbishing of the technical building, replacement of the fire-fighting and
deluge sprinkler systems, refurbishing of 24 offsite tanks, replacement of
electrical equipment in substation, installation of primary earthing
integration and new lighting system.
He said the
project would also involve the replacement of pumps, turbines, one expander,
boilers, three compressor fans and blowers, tanks, vessel and drums among other
items equipment.
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