By Adedapo Adesanya
Once again, a new timeline has been announced for the completion of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC), which is undergoing repairs.
The Managing Director of KRPC, Mr Mustafa Sugungun, said on Monday during an oversight visit to the refinery by members of the Senate Adhoc Committee on Petroleum Downstream led by Mr Ifeanyi Ubah that the facility would be ready by the end of 2024 after years of being shut down due to lack of maintenance.
He explained that the 110,000-barrel-per-day Kaduna Refinery would start producing at 60 percent capacity by the end of the year, while full production will take place subsequently.
According to him, the rehabilitation work, which is presently at 40 per cent, is expected to be completed within the stipulated time frame.
“Our rehabilitation is going on well and steadily according to the plan we have. We are planning to bring this plant to 60 percent nominal capacity by December 31st, 2024.
“Currently, we are heading towards 40 per cent of rehabilitation. We remain committed to bringing back the plant at least 60 percent of our nominal capacity.
“The overall capacity of Kaduna Refinery is 110, 000 barels per day, but we are starting with only 60 percent of that. And in less than one year, we will attain the 110,000 capacity.
“So, this initial plant operation is for 60 percent Nigerian crude and 50, 000 barrels of imported crude. Imported crude is mainly for lubricants and other petrochemical aspect of it,” he stated.
On his part, Mr Ubah said that the oversight visit was part of the collaborative effort of President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to ensure that all the nation’s refineries are brought back to life, and consequently enable the country to end the importation of petroleum products.
The Kaduna refinery was established in 1980 to supply petroleum products to Nigeria’s Northern region, with a capacity of producing 110,000 barrels per day of crude oil.
For many years, the Kaduna refinery, just like other refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri, has been out of production, leaving the country to rely heavily on imported petroleum products.