The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL has announced it is conducting a total overhaul of its 150,000 barrels per day, bpd, Port Harcourt Refinery and Kaduna Refinery.

According to NNPCL, the purpose is for the refineries to meet world-class standards.

According to the NNPCL, the rehabilitation done at the 60,000 bpd Port Harcourt Refinery and Warri Refinery was not the typical Turnaround Maintenance, TAM, of the past, but a total overhaul, designed to meet global standards.

This was contained in a statement by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, on Thursday in response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments on the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

Recall that the former president had earlier expressed doubts about the operational status of the rehabilitated 60,000 bpd Port Harcourt refinery and Warri refinery.

The ex-president had said that the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, advised against the Port Harcourt Refinery’s viability due to corruption, and alleged that the NNPCL misled Nigerians by claiming that its refineries are operational.

Reacting, however, Soneye said that a notable achievement of the NNPCL was the overhauling of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, while similar efforts were underway at the second Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.

According to him, the NNPCL was committed to enhance and maintain the refineries to global standards for sustainable operations.