The Nigerian government announced on Monday that operations have partially resumed at the Warri oil refinery, which had been shut down for nearly 10 years.
The 125,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) facility, closed since 2015 due to disrepair and crude supply shortages, is now operating at 60% capacity, according to a statement from presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga. Mele Kyari, the head of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), confirmed the development during a facility tour alongside government officials, regulators, and journalists. “This plant is running. We have not completed 100%,” Kyari said.
The revival of Warri refinery is part of a broader government plan to rehabilitate Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries, which have suffered from years of neglect, damage, and mismanagement allegations. Combined, these refineries have a total capacity of 445,000 bpd, including the 110,000 bpd Kaduna plant in the north and two other refineries in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Last month, the NNPC announced the partial revival of the 60,000 bpd Port Harcourt refinery, also located in the Niger Delta. The corporation aims to fully rehabilitate all four refineries within this year.
In addition to these state-owned facilities, Nigeria’s refining capacity received a significant boost with the commencement of operations at the privately-owned Dangote oil refinery in Lagos earlier this year. Built by billionaire Aliko Dangote, the 650,000 bpd refinery is now the largest in Africa.
These developments are seen as crucial steps toward reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products and addressing long-standing issues in the energy sector.