TheCable

Timipre Sylva, minister of state for petroleum resources, says the modular refinery programme to boost boost local production of crude oil in the country is still on course.

Sylva disclosed during an interview on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said that the federal government had licensed a good number of modular refineries and some of them had already started operating effectively.

“Modular refineries, we have licensed quite a bit. I am not in a position to give you an exact figure now but I know that a few of these refineries are under construction and very soon, we will be commissioned,” he said.

“You know that last year, we commission the Waltersmith which is functioning well and since then I have also laid the foundation stone for Atlantic refinery and there is Niger Delta own that is ongoing, one almost ready to be commissioned in Port Harcourt and there are quite a few. That programme is on course.”

A modular refinery is a simplified refinery requiring significantly less capital investment than traditional full-scale refinery facilities that can be transported in modules across distances and put together at any desired location.

The minister also explained that the WalterSmith Petrochemical Refining Company with 5000 barrels per day is currently producing very comfortable and had no problems.

“The Atlantic is not finished yet, they are very much on course to finish construction by the first quarter of next year and there are others that are ongoing,’’ he added.

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) had earlier published a list of 23 private refineries that have been licensed to operate in Nigeria with a total capacity of 1.09 million barrels per day (bpd) .

President Muhammadu Buhari had said construction of modular refineries in Nigeria will make petroleum products available in the country as well as eliminate importation.