The Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (ERPCL) has announced the expansion of its facility to Koko, a border town between Edo and Delta states, increasing its capacity to 80,000 barrels per day. This expansion follows the completion of a crude distillation assessment by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
In a statement released in Benin City on Sunday, the refinery’s parent company, AIPCC Energy, outlined the details of the expansion. The Head of Technical Operations for ERPCL, Mr. Segun Okeni, stated that the company anticipates exporting its first cargo from the refinery by May 2025.
Okeni noted that the by-products of the Koko expansion would include Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), High-Performance Fuel Oil (HPFO), Naphtha, and Fuel gas. He expressed optimism that by the time the plant is completed, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) would allocate crude to the refinery through domestic crude supply obligations.
The statement included the following details: “We are pleased to announce the successful factory acceptance test conducted by NMDPRA 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 September 18 to September 24, 2024.”
Additionally, the statement emphasized that the Koko expansion project, owned by AIPCC Energy, would be mechanically completed, followed by a pre-start-up safety audit and commissioning exercises.
Previously, the NMDPRA issued an operational license to ERPCL, located in Ologbo within the Ikpoba-Okha local government area of Edo State. This operational license is the final stage of approval from the regulatory authority, allowing the plant to fully operate as a refinery.