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Port Harcourt Refinery Begins Full Operations Next Month

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Port Harcourt Refinery
Port Harcourt Refinery
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The 210,000-barrel-per-day Port Harcourt refinery is expected to commence operations by the end of July, following multiple delays.

National Public Relations Officer of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, revealed this new timeline on Monday. He noted that the refinery’s operation would boost economic activities, reduce petroleum product prices, and ensure an adequate supply.

In December last year, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, announced the mechanical completion and flare start-off of the Port Harcourt refinery, the largest in the region.

The refinery consists of two units: an older plant with a 60,000-barrel-per-day capacity and a newer plant with a 150,000-barrel-per-day capacity. The refinery was shut down in March 2019 for the first phase of repairs after the government enlisted Italy’s Maire Tecnimont as a technical adviser and appointed oil major Eni as a technical adviser.

On March 15, 2024, NNPC Limited’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, announced that the Port Harcourt refinery would begin operations in about two weeks. He made this statement during a press briefing following his appearance before the Senate Ad hoc committee investigating the various turnaround maintenance projects of the country’s refineries.

“We achieved mechanical completion in December,” Kyari stated. “We now have crude oil stocked in the refinery and are conducting regulatory compliance tests. The Port Harcourt refinery will start within two weeks.”

However, two months later, the refinery had yet to commence operations.

In an interview, IPMAN’s Ukadike emphasized that the work done on the refinery represented a complete overhaul rather than mere rehabilitation. He assured that every effort was being made to meet the July deadline.

Ukadike said, “When we visited, the MD informed us that the refinery was nearly ready and would start production by the end of July. The overhaul is extensive, with all the armoured cables replaced and everything almost brand new. The maintenance turnaround is massive, with work being done day and night. All hands are on deck to meet the target. By the end of July, the refinery should be operational.”

When asked about the government’s previous unfulfilled promises to restart the refinery, Ukadike acknowledged the delays but noted that no reasons were given for missing the last deadline in April

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Business & Economy

Nigerian Economy Stabilising — CBN Governor, Cardoso

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CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso
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The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has said the Nigerian economy has stability.
He disclosed this at the press briefing at the end of its 300th Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday.

According to him, investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy has improved over the past eighteen months.

Responding to questions on how improved macroeconomic fundamentals of the Nigerian economy are impacting the lives of Nigerians, he said, “Investors do not go to where there is economic instability. They don’t go out to lose money but to make a profit. With that stability comes confidence and then investment and growth.

“What is now being recognised is that the Nigerian economy is not stable. The inflation numbers speak for themselves.”

Recall that the World Bank, in its latest Nigerian Development Update report, said the country is in good shape as it grew by 3.4 percent in 2024.

 

 

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 CBN Retains Nigeria’s Interest At 27.50%

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Yemi Cardoso,CBN Governor
Yemi Cardoso, CBN Governor
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The Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee has retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent.

The governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, disclosed this in a press briefing on Tuesday after the 300th MPC meeting in Abuja.

“The committee unanimously agreed to retain MPR at 27.50 percent,” he stated.

Cardoso also announced that the MPC member decided to retain the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 50 basis points for commercial bank and 16 percent for mortgage bank, the liquidity ratio (LR) at 30 percent, and the asymmetric corridor at +500/-100 basis points around the MPR; other monetary policy decisions were retained.

He justified MPC’s decision to pause the rate hike on the easing of Nigeria’s inflation rate to 23.7 percent in April.

it would be recalled that last week the National Bureau of Statistics consumer price index showed that country’s inflation dropped by 23.7 percent.

In February, the MPC retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent as inflation cooled off.

 

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Renaissance Energy Completes Acquisition Of SPDC

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Renaissance Africa Energy has completed the “acquisition of the entire (100%)” equity holding in Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).

This is according to a statement on Thursday by the spokesman of Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings Tony Okonedo who said the acquisition was completed on the same day.

“This follows the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Shell in January 2024, and obtaining all regulatory approvals required for the transaction. Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited,” the statement added.

“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be ‘Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner.’ We and our shareholder companies are therefore pleased that the Federal Government has given the green light for this milestone acquisition in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act,” said the Managing Director/CEO of Renaissance Tony Attah.

He added: “We extend our appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the GCEO of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their foresight and belief, paving the way for the rapid development of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources as a strategic accelerator for the country’s industrial development”.

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RENAISSANCE COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF NIGERIA (SPDC)

Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings today announced that it has successfully completed the landmark transaction between itself and Shell for the acquisition of the entire (100%) equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). This follows the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Shell in January 2024, and obtaining all regulatory approvals required for the transaction. Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.

Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings is a consortium consisting of four successful Nigerian independent oil and gas companies: ND Western Limited, Aradel Holdings Plc. FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited and the Waltersmith Group, each with considerable operations experience in the Niger Delta, and Petrolin, an international energy company with global trading experience and a pan African outlook.

“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be “Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner.” We and our shareholder companies are therefore pleased that the Federal Government has given the green light for this milestone acquisition in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act” said Tony Attah, Managing Director/CEO of Renaissance who added that:

“We extend our appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, and the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the GCEO of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their foresight and belief, paving the way for the rapid development of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources as strategic accelerator for the country’s industrial development”.

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