The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has announced its intention to engage reputable and credible Operations and Maintenance (O&M) companies to manage the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).

The NNPC disclosed this on Friday via a statement on its official X handle, emphasizing the need for experienced firms to ensure the effective operation and maintenance of these key refining facilities.

The Warri Refinery, located in Delta State, was commissioned in 1978 and has a nameplate distillation capacity of 6,250,000 metric tons per annum (MTA), equivalent to 125,000 barrels per day (bpd). It is a complex conversion refinery with a petrochemical plant that began operations in 1988, producing 13,000 MTA of polypropylene and 18,000 MTA of carbon black. The Warri refinery primarily serves markets in southern and southwestern Nigeria.

The Kaduna Refinery, commissioned in 1980, initially had a capacity of 50,000 bpd, primarily supplying petroleum products to northern Nigeria. The refinery underwent expansions in 1983 and 1986, increasing its capacity to 110,000 bpd. The expansions included the addition of a second crude train dedicated to producing lubricating oils and an enhancement of the first crude train’s capacity.

The NNPC’s move to engage O&M firms for these refineries is part of its broader strategy to improve efficiency and output in Nigeria’s refining sector, which has long struggled with operational challenges and underutilization.

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