The event of the opening of the Warri refining and Petrochemicals company in Delta state was greatly welcomed by everyone present at the Refinery complex in Ekpan Warri after a decade long closure.
It resumed operations on December 30,2024. Prominent personalities graced the occassion. This included the Board chairman of NNPC Limited;Chief Pius Akinyelure, Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari, the Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulating Authority(NMDPRA) among others.
Journalists and pleased workers also witnessed the successful commencement of the Refinery’s CDU, Gas Plant and VDU, commonly referred to as Area 1.
The atmosphere of celebration at the refinery, which has a capacity of 125,000 barrels per day, could be compared to the rare and remarkable recovery of a patient after a decade-long coma. Given the troubled track record of government-owned refineries in Nigeria, the revival of the Warri refinery following such a prolonged shutdown was considered nothing short of extraordinary. Many had argued that only privatization could turn around the fortunes of these refineries, insisting that the government should not be involved in running businesses.
Nevertheless, despite these doubts, the Federal Government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, remained committed to rehabilitating the nation’s four state-owned refineries, which have a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day. This included plans for the 110,000 bpd Kaduna refinery, the 60,000 bpd Old Port Harcourt refinery, the 150,000 bpd New Port Harcourt refinery, and the Warri refinery. Despite government assurances, skepticism persisted due to a history of neglect, mismanagement, and the failure of costly maintenance projects that had plagued these facilities for years.
The Warri Refinery restarted operations several months after the NNPCL had successfully brought the 60,000-barrel-per-day Old Port Harcourt Refinery back online, following more than three decades of inactivity. Initially, the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery was met with skepticism, as critics spread misleading narratives that created doubt among the public regarding NNPC Ltd.’s claims that the refinery was indeed functional.
Acknowledging the immense challenge of bringing two long-dormant refineries back into operation, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) praised Kyari’s leadership at NNPC for its commitment, transparency, and dedication in successfully completing the first phase of the Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation and the phased restart of operations at Warri.
