Rivers owned Omega Butler gets operational refinery licence

Plans to develop an energy city as cluster for energy projects earmarked for Ikpokiri in Ogu/Bolo council area of Rivers State close to the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone is close to reality following the getting of an operational licence by a refining company owned by the Rivers State government.

Reports from the state government on Monday indicate that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) through the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has issued the licence to Rivers State government for the construction of the Omega Butler Refinery.

A statement quoted the commissioner for energy and natural resources, Okey Amadi, as having disclosed this in a meeting held with chiefs and elders of Ikpokiri community in his office recently.

Amadi has already explained the need for the cooperation of the community to enable the core investors mobilise immediately to commence the construction of the project.

He said, “The Rivers State government is committed to the completion of this project because of the benefits it stands to gain in terms of employment of our people and other economic ventures which our people stand to leverage to better their living standards.”

He said all hands must be on deck to ensure the success of the construction of the refinery.

“The delay in issuance of this document is the reason why the government has not been able to do anything positive over the years but with this development, I am sure that better days are here as the long time suffering of our people is about to be addressed”.

The commissioner, however, charged the chiefs to go back and sensitise their people on the benefits they will enjoy from the refinery project.

Responding on behalf of the community, Jonah Tamuno thanked the state government for considering Ikpokiri community for such a gigantic project, saying, “I want to assure that the people of Ikpokiri community are committed to the success of this project and would do everything possible to ensure that it commences without any hitch”.

It would be recalled that the quest for this operational licence dates back to the administration of Governor Peter Odili. The proposed Rivers Omega Butler Refinery is a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative and is a conventional modular refinery.

According to experts, the refinery which could be constructed within a timeline of 18 months would have a production capacity of between 5,000 and 10,000 barrels per day (bpd). It can be upgradeable to a maximum capacity of 30,000 bpd on demand by the client.

By: Ignatius Chukwu