Page 13 - DMEA Week 26 2021

DMEA REFINING DMEA

Edo modular refinery

ready for action

NIGERIA THE governor of Nigeria’s Edo State said this litres of fuel oil.
week that a modular refinery at Ologbo in the Its development is being carried out in two
state’s Ikpoba-Okha local government area is phases, with the first intended to complete a 500
now ready to begin operations. bpd demonstration refinery and the second to
Speaking ahead of a tour of the refinery by construct a 5,000 bpd facility.
the facility’s managing director, Tim Tian, for- In September 2018, a local government state-
mer investment banker Godwin Obaseki said: ment said that Obaseki had approved a state
“We were in China to sign this memorandum of contribution of NGN700mn ($1.94mn) for the
understanding (MoU). I am very impressed that modular refinery.
work has moved [at] such a speed in spite of the This followed an earlier announcement that
delay caused by [the coronavirus] COVID-19 the state government had signed an MoU with
pandemic.” Chinese firm Peiyang Chemical Equipment Co.
He added: “The plant is ready to receive crude Ltd (PCC) for the construction of a 1,000 bpd
oil; it is ready to process and it is ready to deliver refinery, which was expected to be completed in
products. They have done the pre-commission April 2019.
with the Department of Petroleum Resources Obaseki said: “What we have left now is to
[DPR], they have certified the refinery.” finalise the crude oil sale contract, these facilities
The Edo Modular Refinery is being devel- have to get a certain type of crude from the Escra-
oped by Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals vos line and that is being finalised. I hope that
Company Ltd to process 6,000 barrels per day before the end of August, we should start lifting
(bpd) of local crude and produce refined prod- products from this refinery.”
ucts including kerosene, diesel, naphthalene and Speaking to the importance of gaining buy-in
petrochemicals. from the local community, the Traditional Ruler
The project company was launched by Obase- of the Ologbo community, Owen Akenzua, said:
ki’s Edo state administration. “My people are excited that such project will go
Edo Modular Refinery will receive feedstock a long way in improving the socio-economic
from Nigerian Petroleum Development Co.’s development for our community.
(NPDC) oil mining lease (OML) 111, near Benin The governor has this project dear to his
City. The facility will produce 500,000 litres of heart, not only this project, the power plant is
diesel, 300,000 litres of naphtha and 200,000 also situated in Ologbo.”™

Week 26 01•July•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13