The nation’s refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna will refine crude oil at optimum capacity come 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation announced on Saturday night.

NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, who disclosed this during a facilities tour of the Port-Harcourt Refining and Petrochemical Company, stated that full rehabilitation of the plants would commence January, 2020.

A statement by the corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Ndu Ughamadu, said the NNPC helmsman’s visit to the refinery was part of his commitment to ensure that the nation’s refineries deliver value.

Kyari said making the refineries to operate at optimal capacities was a mandate that NNPC as a corporation would leave no stone unturned to actualise, adding that a timely delivery of the asset was a priority.

He said, “We will stick to time, we will deliver this project by 2022. We will commence actual rehabilitation work in January. We will do everything possible between October and December to close out all necessary conditions for us to deliver on that project.

“I believe that with the support that we have from the shareholders – government of this country, the entire staff of this company and the contractors, I believe it is doable and we will deliver the project.”

He tasked the contractors on the need to consider their reputation as most critical element in business processes and engagements.

Kyari said, “It’s no longer about business now, but a reputational issue. For the original builders of the refinery, Tecmmont, Eni/NAOC and NNPC, let us be conscious of the fact that our reputation is at stake as far as this project is concerned.

“The NNPC leadership has promised this country that our refineries will work, therefore, we must work not to disappoint over 200 million Nigerian stakeholders.”

He also challenged the PHRC management to ensure that the nation’s indigenous engineers and other professionals working in the refinery were fully engaged to participate actively during the rehabilitation exercise and own the process.