By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (ERPCL) said it has expanded its 80,000 barrels capacity per day to Koko, a border town between Edo and Delta states.

This expansion notice was contained in a statement by the refinery’s parent body, AIPCC Energy in a statement made available to journalists in Benin City on Sunday where it said the expansion was after the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) concluded its crude distillation assessment on the project.

The statement signed by Head of Technical Operations of ERPCL, Mr Segun Okeni said the company is expecting to export the first cargo from the refinery by May 2025.

Okeni listed the by-products of the Koko expansion as AGO, HPFO, Naphtha, and Fuel gas, adding, “The company is hopeful that by the time the plant is completed, NUPRC would have allocated crude to the refinery through domestic crude supply obligation.”

The statement reads in part: “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. The assessment test was carried out from 18th Sept to 24th Sept 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 NMDPRA had earlier issued an operational license to ERPCL, Ologbo in the Ikpoba-Okha local government area of Edo State.

Issuance of operational license 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).