Warri Refinery

The Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company Limited (WRPC) is situated in Warri, within Delta State, Nigeria, and began operations in 1978. This facility is a sophisticated conversion refinery, boasting a distillation capacity of 6,250,000 metric tons annually (equivalent to 125,000 barrels per day).^[1][2] In addition to the refinery, the complex features a petrochemical plant that was established in 1988, with production capabilities of 13,000 metric tons per year for polypropylene and 18,000 metric tons per year for carbon black. The refinery primarily serves the markets in Nigeria's southern and southwestern regions.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Geography and Location

The Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) is situated within the Ubeji community of Warri South Local Government Area (LGA) and the Ekpan community of Uvwie LGA, in Delta State, Nigeria. The facility's geographical coordinates are 5°32′N latitude and 5°41′E longitude.^[12]

The refinery is bounded to the north by the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), a major natural gas processing and transmission company.^[13]

Host Communities

The Warri refinery is hosted by four Itsekiri communities: Aja-Etan, Ubeji, Ifie-Kporo, and Ijalla-Ikenren, all located in the Warri South Local Government Area (LGA). Additionally, it is also hosted by one Urhobo community, the Ekpan community, which is part of the Uvwie LGA.^{[14][15][16][17][18]}

Primary Plant Facilities

The company operates several fuel and petrochemical facilities, which include:^[19][20]

• NHU – Naphtha Hydrotreater Unit  
• KHU – Kerosene Hydrotreating Unit  
• FCC – Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit  
• HF Alkylation Unit  
• Polypropylene Production Unit
• Carbon Black Production Unit

Supporting Utilities

The refinery is equipped with all necessary utilities for its operations, featuring the following installed capacities:

Power

The facility boasts a total electric power generation capacity of 125 MW.

Steam

The power plant is capable of producing high-pressure steam at a rate of 545 T/Hr, utilizing three boilers, two heat recovery units, and a CO boiler within the FCC unit.

Nitrogen

A nitrogen plant with a capacity of 1,600 NM³/Hr is available, along with a compressed air system.

Water Treatment

There is a potable water treatment facility on-site.

Wastewater Management

The wastewater treatment plant has recently undergone upgrades and rehabilitation.

Crude Oil Storage

The refinery has a crude oil storage capacity of 273,600 M³, which is adequate for approximately 14 days of operation.

Crude Oil Supply

Crude oil is supplied to the WRPC from Escravos, located about 80 km from the refinery.

Jetty Facilities

The jetty is equipped for the import and export of fuel oil, diesel, and PMS, as well as for ethylene import and storage.

Truck Loading

There are facilities for loading products onto trucks for distribution.

Railroad

A modern railroad system is in place for efficient product evacuation.^[21][22]

Operational Capacity and Performance

The Refinery is designed with a processing capacity of 125,000 barrels per day (B/D). Despite this significant capacity, the facility has historically struggled to achieve full utilization. Production levels have experienced a consistent decline over the years, with the exception of a brief period in the early 1990s, during which production saw a temporary increase.^[23][24][25]

Several key factors contribute to the refinery's inefficient operations. Addressing these issues is crucial for optimizing the refinery's performance and ensuring that it operates at its full potential. Among the proposed solutions is the refurbishment of the existing utilities within the plant. This upgrade aims to enhance their functionality and ensure they meet the operational demands of the refinery.^[26][27][28]

Recent Developments

In August 2023, the Nigerian government assured that the Port Harcourt refinery, which had been moribound for several decades, would become functional by December 2023, with Warri coming online by the end of Q1 2024 and Kaduna towards the end of 2024.

Recently, a turnaround maintenance initiative was reported completed in 2024 and was anticipated to significantly improve the refinery's overall performance. This maintenance is expected to enhance both throughput volume and product yield, positioning the refinery for better operational efficiency in the future.^[29][30][31]

However, the facility was again shuttered in January 2025. No timeline or scope provided for the shutdown following the latest round of repair costing $1B.^[32]

Critiques

Since about 2013, the government has reported spending over $27billion trying to fix its three “moribund” refineries which remain not operating.^[33]

Meanwhile, the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote Petroleum Refinery was set up with about $20 billion and is already operating (compared to at least $28B spent on repairing the combined refining capacity of 445,000 bpd of NNPC assets ).^[34]

See also:

1. Port Harcourt Refining Company
2. Kaduna Refinery
3. Dangote Refinery