THE Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, has indicated that the reconstruction of the Kaduna Refinery will be finished by the end of 2024.
He made the announcement during a tour of the refinery today, during which he restated the Federal Government’s resolve to ending petroleum product imports through the revival of the nation’s refineries.
The Kaduna Refinery, with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per day, is one of Nigeria’s four dysfunctional refineries, which have generated no fuel for many years, forcing the country to rely heavily on imported petroleum products.
However, in February 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) inked an agreement for the rehabilitation of the refinery with a Korean company, Daewoo Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited.
The minister of state for petroleum resources paid a visit to the refinery today to inspect the status of the ongoing rehabilitation work under the quick-fix project.
The minister was accompanied by NNPCL Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari and other ministry officials.
The Managing Director of Kaduna Refinery, Mustapha Sugungun, showed the minister and his colleagues around the facility.
According to government sources, the last turn-around maintenance on the refinery was performed roughly 15 years ago.
However, based on the progress made thus far by the contractor in charge of the rehabilitation work, the petroleum minister is optimistic that the refinery will be operational by the end of 2024 and the NNPCL president shared this optimism.
