Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The management of AIPCC Energy, owners of Edo Refinery has said it would begin the exportation of its first cargo May next year, just as it announced an 80,000 barrels per day refinery expansion in Koko, a border town between Edo and Delta States.
This was after the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) concluded its crude distillation assessment on the project.
A statement signed by the Head, Technical Operations, Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (ERPCL), Mr Segun Okeni and made available to journalists in Benin City.
Okeni listed the by-products of the Koko expansion as diesel, naphtha, and fuel gas, adding, among others, adding that the company was hopeful that by the time the plant is completed, the upstream regulator would have allocated crude to the refinery through the domestic crude supply obligation.“We are pleased to announce the successful factory acceptance test conducted by NDMPRA on the crude distillation column of our 80,000 barrels per day refinery expansion in Koko, Delta State.
“We expect to export our first cargo from the refinery by May 2025.
“Assessment test was carried out from September 18 to September 24, 2024.“The by-products expected from the Koko expansion are AGO, HPFO, Naphtha, and Fuel gas.
“The Koko expansion project is owned by AIPCC Energy, the owners of Edo Refinery.“By this time, there would have been mechanical completion and pre start-up safety audit, and commissioning exercise would be completed,” the statement said.
Recall that the regulatory agency, NMDPRA, had earlier issued operational licence to Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited, Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha local government area of Edo State.
Issuance of operational licence is the final stage of approval from the regulatory authority, which implies that the plant can now fully operate as a refinery.
The regulatory authority Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Farouk in a ceremony, handed the certificate to AIPCC, the parent company of Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (ERPCL).