By Pascal Oparada
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, has revealed that the two new refineries in Edo State are poised to contribute to Nigeria’s 1.5 million barrels of daily refining capacity.
The Edo Refinery and Duport Midstream Refinery are currently refining petrochemical products in the state and will start petroleum refining as soon as they receive crude oil supplies.
The Nigerian government recently ordered about 52 oil companies in Nigeria to begin supplying crude to emerging refineries to avoid the embarrassment of importation of oil at a time the country is a top oil producer in Africa. Wabote made this public at the third Biennial International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology, organized by the Petroleum Training Institute.
The two refineries have reportedly ordered 300,000 barrels of crude oil from the Oza oil field and currently produce diesel, naphtha and Lour Pour Fuel Oil.
According to media reports, the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company runs the 6,000 barrels per day plant in Ologbo, Ikpoba, Okha LGA, and Duport Refinery, located in the Egbokor area of the state is part of the integrated park.
The Edo Refinery was financed via a N700 million investment by the government of Godwin Obaseki in 2019 and has recently expanded to 12,000 barrels per day capacity.
NCDMB reportedly has stakes in the Duport Refinery and is devoted to the facility’s expansion. “If all plans go well, Nigeria will meet the target of 1.5 million barrels per day by 2025 through the various refining investments such as the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery and the Bua Group refinery project,” Wabote said.
The Edo Refineries
The NCDMB boss listed Waltersmith modular refinery, Duport Midstream refinery, OPAC Refinery, Edo Refinery, Aradel Holdings Refinery, and the 445,000 barrels per day Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries as projects that would help Nigeria to hit the 1.5 million barrels per day refining capacity goal.
“The realization of these projects would culminate in Nigeria achieving a combined refining capacity of approximately 1.5 million barrels per day by 2025,” Wabote added.
Earlier in October, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said that emerging refineries in Nigeria would help lift the country’s crude oil output. OPEC revealed that Nigeria is about to witness the establishment of small modular refineries with 20,000 barrels per day capacity in the medium term. The group revealed this in its World Oil Outlook, launched in Saudi Arabia. The Outlook says Africa will see a medium-term distillation capacity of 1.2 million barrels daily. A significant increase is due to the upcoming 650,000-capacity Dangote Refinery, which is projected to boost Nigeria’s capacity.
The refinery was officially opened in May 2022 by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and was slated to begin production in October with the initial plan of refining diesel and aviation fuel and later petrol in November.
Nigerian media earlier reported that the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources had announced the completion of its modular refinery with plans to increase its capacity for use in the commercial sector.
According to the reports, PTI, based in Effurun, Delta state, also reportedly teaches artisanal refiners the abilities necessary for processing crude oil. He added that the ministry aids in educating people so that their actions do not negatively impact the environment.
