The Port Harcourt refinery will resume operations in April, according to the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
In a statement, the NNPCL chief explained that mechanical works have been completed on the facility which has received over 450,000 barrels of crude following delivery from active lines.
He also said repair works at the Kaduna and Warri refineries are near completion.
According to him, the Kaduna refinery is expected to commence operations in December.
Meanwhile, the Senate has dismissed an alleged report of fraud in the turnaround maintenance (TAM) of the nation’s refineries being undertaken by the NNPCL.
The move comes about three years after approval of $1.5bn (1.2 billion euros) fund for the repair of the Port Harcourt refinery, one of the biggest oil refineries in the country.
Despite being Africa’s number one oil producer, Nigeria has relied on imports of petroleum products due to a lack of domestic refining capacity.
