Nigeria’s Refining Capacity Rises To 26%

The combined average capacity utilisation of Nigeria’s four refineries has been estimated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to be 25.95 percent for the month of December 2013.

According to data from the NNPC’s December 2013 Monthly Petroleum Information, this is a significant improvement from the 6.46 per cent average capacity utilisation of the refineries in November 2013, and a slight decline from the 30.87 per cent utilisation year on year to December 2012.

The refineries are the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC 1 and 2), and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).

Specifically, the NNPC put the respective average capacity utilisation of the refineries in December, as: KRPC – 32.96 per cent, PHRC – 4.48 per cent, and WRPC – 40.41 per cent.

According to the NNPC, 388,000 metric tonnes, MT, of dry crude oil, condensate and slop was received by the refineries, in the month under review.

“With an opening stock of 433,000MT, total crude oil available for processing was 816,000MT, out of which 403,000MT was processed.

“Total national domestic refining produced 368,000MT of finished and intermediate products. Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, which lifts products from the refineries evacuated 284,000MT of products,” it noted.

Meanwhile, in November 2013, the NNPC stated that 474,000MT of dry crude oil, condensate and slop was received by the refineries.

With an opening stock of 215,000MT, the NNPC explained that total crude oil available for processing was 689,000MT, out of which 86,000MT was processed.

It disclosed that the respective average capacity utilisation of the refineries in November 2013 was 19.37 per cent for KRPC, and zero per cent for both PHRC and WRPC.

“Total national domestic refining produced 84,000MT of finished and intermediate products. PPMC which lifts products from the refineries evacuated 225,000MT of products,” the NNPC said.

However, the NNPC said 40,314MT of products was used by the three refineries as fuel and loss, adding that consumption as fuel was 9.03 per cent while loss and flare accounted for 0.98 per cent of production in December.

Continuing, the NNPC said, “NNPC Retail Limited and Independent Petroleum Products Marketing Companies distributed about 673.92 million litres of various petroleum products in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in December. This shows an increase of 150.33 million litres or 22.31 per cent when compared with 523.58 million litres distributed in November 2013. “The NNPC Retail Limited distributed 140.66 million litres, 20.87 per cent of the total sales of petroleum products, while the independent marketing companies distributed 533.26 million litres, representing 79.13 per cent of the total. [Vanguard]