By YANGE IKYAA
Duport Modular Refinery, which is located at Duport Energy Park, Egbokor in Edo State, is set for completion before the end of December, 2021.
Simbi Wabote, executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), confirmed this in a statement during his recent inspection visit to the project site.
He specifically indicated that the installations and civil works at the plant as well as all mechanical works would be concluded before December 23, noting further that by Q1 2022, the gas gathering facility would also be completed.
The NCDMB boss hinted that local content opportunities on the project are numerous, noting that 100 percent of the total workforce are all Nigerians from the clearing of the site to the civil works. He further stated that all the contracting and sub-contracting phases of the project went through local businesses.
The Duport project is being developed with equity contribution from NCDMB, and in line with the Federal Government’s policy of catalyzing modular refining, which is geared towards increasing in-country refining of petroleum products, adding value to crude oil resources, and creating jobs from oil and gas operations.
Wabote explained that one of the key benefits of his agency’s partnerships for the establishment of modular refineries is the steady rebuilding of local skills in refinery operations, especially amongst the nation’s teeming young workforce.
His words: “I am impressed. It is part of what we try to do at NCDMB when we take up any project, we follow it through end to end to see that it is delivered, and we are very optimistic this will also be delivered at the right time with the right quality”.
Responding, the managing director and chief executive officer, Duport Midstream Company Limited, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, appreciated NCDMB for its continuous partnership. He mentioned that NCDMB support has been invaluable and goes beyond the capital support to include catalyzing the new project.
He reiterated that Duport Energy Park is the first SMART energy park in the world that comprises of a 10,000 barrels per day modular refinery, a 60 million standard cubic feet per day gas gathering facility, a 50MW power plant, and a data analysis centre.