2, is now ready for the production of more
premium motor spirit, PMS, popularly called
petrol, and will reduce fuel import by 40 per cent
when fully operational.
When the FCCUs are re-streamed, the refinery
will be working at 95 per cent of its 150,000
barrels per day capacity, it is expected that
petrol importation will reduce.
This was disclosed to journalists, weekend, by
Chrome Oil Services, a member of the Chrome
Group, one of the three contractors, handling the
phased rehabilitation of the refinery.
Recall that Vanguard Sweetcrude had exclusively
reported last week that the four Nigerian
refineries are weak in petrol production and high
in fuel oils because the FCCUs were still
undergoing rehabilitation.
The Project Manager, Chrome Oil Services, Mr.
Bombey Adigbara, said: “The job on the FCCUs is
about 98 percent completed and by next
weekend, we will hand over and the FCCUs will
be re-streamed and the refinery will be working
at about 95 percent of its throughput.
“Three companies participated in this phased
works and COS is the first, and we are still the work. At the moment, the refinery has
started preliminary production, which means that
it is Unit 1 that is producing.
“The Unit 3 is being handled by Chrome, and by
the end of next week, we will hand over the
plant and the FCCs will be streamed. When this
is done, we will start experiencing high level of
PMS production in Nigeria. So, all the critical
jobs are being done by us.”
He disclosed that there are three major
contractors handling the ongoing phased
rehabilitation of PHRC, namely Chrome, DKJ/ITC,
and DBM.
According to him, “The FCC is 98 per cent
completed. The FCC has a lot of critical
components and it is also vendor specific, so
you have to have a lot of experience to work in
that place. We have achieved 98 per cent and
when it comes up you will have a reduction in
the importation of PMS.”
Chrome capacity
Adigbara also dismissed widespread speculations
about the capacity of Chrome Oil Services to
execute refinery TAM, saying before the
1999/2000 TAM for PHRC, Chrome had carried
out a number of works for the Kaduna and Warri
refineries as well as the Indorama Elema
Petrochemical Company.
Besides, he noted, Chrome had remained at
PHRC since the 2000 TAM till date, offering
intervention services, adding that in 2015 alone,
Chrome had dome more than 50 jobs in the
refinery to keep it running.
Also speaking, Executive Chairman, Chrome
Group, Sir Emeka Offor, noted that the problem
with the refineries is not just about TAM, which
should be done every two years, but also with
the lack of crude supply following government’s
swap and offshore processing agreement, OPA.
According to him, “the issue with the refinery is
not only TAM but lack of feedstock to sustain
their operations. The cost of TAM is very high
and if you finish TAM and no feedstock then it is
not economical.”
He also added that pipelines vandalism came to
compound the issues, saying: “Federal
Government and NNPC must ensure adequate
supervision of the pipelines to reduce vandalism
to the barest levels.
0 comments:
Post a Comment