​Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC)​​​​

The Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited is in business to optimally process hydrocarbon into petroleum products for the benefit of all stakeholders. The company’s vision is to be an innovative international hydrocarbon processing company of choice.

PHRC Limited is made up of two refineries. The old refinery commissioned in 1965 with current nameplate capacity of 60,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) and the new refinery commissioned in 1989 with an installed capacity of 150,000 bpsd This brings the combined crude processing capacity of the Port Harcourt Refinery to 210,000 bpsd. It has five (5) process areas - Areas 1-5. The new refinery is made up of Areas 1-4 while the old refinery is Area 5.

Area 1 is made up of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), where kerosene and Automotive Gas oil (AGO) are produced as finished products. Other intermediate products from CDU are Straight –Run Naphta (SRN). Straight Run Gasoline (SRG) used for PMS blend, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Atmospheric residue (AR). Vacuum Distillation Unit (VDU) where AR (CDU bottoms) are further processed under vacuum, or significantly less than atmospheric pressure to produce high –vallue products without cracking like vacuum gas oil (VGO) fccu feedstock and light as gas oil.

Area 2 is made up of Naphtha Hydrotreatung unit (NHU), where naphtha is hydro-desulphurised; the Catalytic Reforming Unit (CRU), responsible for upgrading naphtha to reformate which has a higher octane value for PMS blend; the kero Hydrotreating Unit (KHU) where kero is treated to make it acceptable for aviation use: Area 2 also has the Continuous Catalyst Regeneration Unit (CCR), which constantly reactivates the deactivated catalyst from the reformer. Other units in Area 2 include, the Hydrogen Purification, Fuel Gas Vaporizer, Sour Water Treatment and Caustic Treatment units.

Area 3 is made up of a Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU), where Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO) and heavy diesel oil (HDO) are cracked to obtain more valuable products, like FCC gasoline used as pms blend and Light Cycle as blend component for LPFO and LPG. Other units in Area 3 include the Gas Concentration, Gas Treating and Mercaptan Oxidation units.

Area 4 has three process units namely Dimersol, Butamer Isomerisation and Alkylation units. The units are designed to produce high octane gasoline blend component.

Area 5, which is the old refinery, is made up of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU); the Platform Unit (CRU), the LPG Unit, as well as utilities section.

The refinery is self sufficient in power and utilities generated from the Power Plant & Utilities. There are four (4) turbo-generators each with a capacity of 14MW of electricity per hour and four (4) Boilers, capable of generating 120 tons of steam per hour each. The section also generates cooling/service water, plant/instrument air and nitrogen.

The refinery has a pool of maintenance personnel that take care of routine, programmed and emergency repairs of equipment.

There is also the Supply Chain Management Department that oversees the procurement and storage of needed spare parts and chemicals.

PRODUCTS:

PHRC produces the following products:- Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Kerosene (aviation and domestic), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO - diesel), Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) and High Pour Fuel Oil (HPFO).

PHRC produces UNLEADED gasoline that meets international standard.

The PHRC also has in-house firefighting capabilities.

QUALITY POLICY AND OBJECTIVES:

PHRC is committed to always offer Petroleum Products and Services that shall fulfil our customers' requirements and expectations using modern technology at prices that guarantee customers' value, stakeholders' continued interest and support.

To meet the objective of this quality policy, we shall:

• Continually improve the efficiency of the process and utility plants to optimise their capacity utilisation. 
• Deliver all products on specifications 
• Train at least one third of the total staff population in the relevant skills annually. 
• ​Strive to achieve nil accident annually. 
• Treat all plant effluents to statutory safe levels before discharge into the environment 
• ​Be a responsible corporate citizen by contributing to the social and economic development of our contiguous communities.
  

These Policy and Objectives shall be reviewed annually for continual improvement of the Quality Management System in accordance with the requirements of NIS ISO (001: 2000. Compliance with these Policy and Objectives, which shall be communicated to all staff, is mandatory.

REHABILITATION:

The Plant has been shut down since 2019 for a comprehensive rehabilitation that would ensure that the refinery produces at a minimum of 90%. Maire Tecnimont, an Italian firm and representative of the Original Refinery Builder, is handling the rehabilitation expected to be fully completed in 44 months. The exercise has commenced and is ongoing and the Old Refinery is expected to come up early 2023. The rehabilitation completion is in phases. The first phase is at 24 months when the Old Port Harcourt Refinery, as earlier stated, would come up. The second set of plants would come a few months later while all the processing plants are expected to come up latest by December 2024. The refinery is also expected to be run on Operations and Maintenance Model in an effort to ensure regular maintenance and profitability post-rehabilitation. 

Contact Address:

Managing Director,

Manager, Public Affairs,