From Uche Usim, Abuja
Hopes of improved supply of petroleum products brightened yesterday as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said three of its refineries produced additional volumes of 4.6 million litres of kerosene and 7.7 million litres of diesel as at today (Tuesday).
The Chief Operating Officer of the refineries, Mr. Anibor Kragha, made the disclosure while making a presentation before the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream on the current status of the refineries at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
Kragha said the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) are all back on stream.
“The refineries are all running, they are producing and they are all fully re-streamed. We are ready to take senators of this committee on a facility tour of all of them on a date that is convenient for them to have a first-hand status of the refineries,” Kragha assured.
He noted that efforts are also underway for the refineries to commence the production of aviation turbine kerosene otherwise known as Jet A1 fuel.
The COO, Refineries, informed that the Corporation was also working on a holistic strategic plan to ensure the operational integrity of the refineries, adding that the challenges of ageing equipment within the refineries are surmountable. He assured the committee that the NNPC would continue to work hard to ensure the availability of petroleum products nationwide, stressing that the refineries are also producing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.
In his remarks, the Senate Committee Chairman on Petroleum Downstream, Senator Kabir Garba Marafa, assured the NNPC of the committee’s readiness to continue to provide strategic support to it in order for it to meet its statutory mandate.