Executive members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) led by its president, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, undertook a facility tour of the OPAC modular refineries in Kwale, Delta State.
The inspection which was held on April 9 came with a mission to assess the refining capacity and perform oversight on the preparedness of the refinery as it is poised to provide finished petroleum products to bridge the constant demand and supply gaps of petroleum products in Nigeria which is brought about by the overdependence on the importation, with the attendant high cost in foreign exchange and challenges of logistics and delivery timeline.
OPAC Refinery facility tour is coming ahead of the commissioning upon the approval of feedstock crude. Chairman of OPAC Refineries, Mr. Momoh Jimah Oyarekhua said that his company, being one of the local set-up and indigenous refining company in Nigeria, is determined to continue its drive to provide a quick and better alternative to petroleum products supply and ease the pressure on the foreign exchange due to overdependence on import for finished products.
Speaking, the IPMAN President, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo who is the leader of the delegation on the tour and in affirming IPMAN’s support for local refining said: “We are now beginning to have the belief that Nigerians can solve their problems, this 10’000 barrels capacity per day by OPAC has shown that there is no other way than to allow the business of refining to be run by Nigerians.
“The management of OPAC Refineries has displayed a lot of uncommon innovation into the management of the refinery. With what we are seeing today, we are very happy and proud that this country has a wonderful future where our refining will be done locally. It will save us a lot of money and a lot of stress.
“Having been very satisfied with what we have seen so far today, I want to assure you that IPMAN is set to automatically become a major off-taker of products from OPAC Refineries. We make this commitment with firm confidence that our partnership with OPAC refineries will bring about greater improvement and progress in the Oil& Gas industry.”
Speaking on behalf of OPAC Refineries, Willy Awili who is Project Coordinator said “on behalf of management and the entire leadership of OPAC Refineries here in Kwale, we want to express our profound gratitude to IPMAN for having been a crucial stakeholder in the Oil & Gas Industry, we thank the executive of IPMAN for coming to Kwale, and it has shown that as Nigerians we are having the mind of true Nigerians, which is to lift Nigeria for the good of us all through support for indigenous businesses.”
OPAC Refineries management during the tour hinted that it has the technology for gas reuse which is designed in such a way that the residual gas from the refinery unit is channeled back into the system as fuel for the burner, making the unit resource-efficient. It noted that the modular refinery maintains high safety standards with equipment, fittings, and connection pipelines with temperatures higher than 50°C thoroughly insulated
OPAC Refineries is a critical component of Osma Pillar Astex Company Limited. The business vehicle is a consortium of OMSA Integrated Services Limited, Pillar Refining Company Limited and Astex General Trading FZE Limited.
OPAC refineries produce multiple primary products which include Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Light Fuel Oil (LFO), Naphtha – source for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Kerosene (or ATK. These products are in high demand locally and globally and are produced according to international specifications. OPAC plants are built to function at climate conditions way beyond the range obtainable in any part of Nigeria and while producing excellent yield results.
Being the first-of-its-kind modular refinery located at Umuseti, Kwale in Delta State, Nigeria, OPAC Refineries is equipped with a processing capacity of 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with plans of expansions and spread to different regions.
The project was conceptualized in 2017 with installation already completed, and currently at the plant commissioning phase. OPAC Refinery is designed to produce according to the best international standards and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) standards (API, ASME, ASTM, and BS).
The refinery has commenced an expansion plan which is at a design phase and which will allow the company to produce Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Jet fuels, and also increase its production capacity to yield larger volumes, thereby enabling them to reach new regional markets at a faster and globally competitive scale.