As part of the efforts to address frequent disruptions to the supply of crude oil to the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) as a result of the Niger Delta militancy, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is considering importing crude oil from Chad and Niger Republic, investigations by THISDAY have revealed.
This is coming as the President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Qatar’s Energy Minister, Mohammed Al Sada, has stated that oil prices would rebound during the third and fourth quarters of 2016.
NNPC, it was learnt, is also considering the option of using railway transportation to move crude from the Niger Delta to the refinery complex.
NNPC, it was learnt, is also considering the option of using railway transportation to move crude from the Niger Delta to the refinery complex.
A top official of the NNPC, who spoke to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity, disclosed yesterday that the corporation might refit the Kaduna refinery to be able to process Nigerien and Chadian crude grades, following the incessant attacks on the pipelines that feed the plant with Nigerian Bonny Light crude.
According to him, the refinery was originally designed to process Nigerian crude and foreign heavy crude at the ratio of about 70:30.
“The original design capacity was 60,000 barrels per day of light crude. So in order to process paraffinic based crude oil from Venezuela, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, the capacity was later increased to 110,000bpd.
“So apart from having the capacity to refine Bonny Light, the plant can also process heavy crude oil from Kuwait, Lagomar crude from Venezuela, Arabian Light from Saudi Arabia and Urals from Russia.
“But for it to refine crude from Chad or Niger, the plant requires some form of refitting so that it can use crude specification from those countries as well. The refitting does not involve complex technology,” he explained.
Spokesman of NNPC, Mr. Garuba Deen Muhammad did not respond when contacted by THISDAY, but the
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