Duport modular refinery to create 1,500 Jobs-NCDMB

By Yesirat Abike

The 2,500 barrels per modular refinery being established at Egbokor, Edo State by Duport Midstream Company Limited in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) will create about 1,500 jobs upon completion in the last quarter of 2021.

The executive secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, visited the project site last Friday to assess the progress of work on the fabrication of the tank farms, civil works, pipeline installation and other site preparation works and confirmed that the project had reached 80 per cent completion.

He said the modules for the 2 Megawatts power plant and the control room were being fabricated and assembled in Lagos for delivery to the site.

The modular refinery is part of the Duport Energy Park conceived to include a 30 million standard cubic feet per day gas processing facility and a power plant.

NCDMB’s partnership with the Duport Energy Park was approved in June 2020 by the Board’s Governing Council chaired by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva. The project is being supported under NCDMB’s commercial ventures programme, which is also in sync with the agency’s vision to serve as a catalyst for the industrialisation of the Nigerian oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors.

Speaking after the site tour, the NCDMB chieftain commended the contractors for the substantial progress they had made on the project. He hinted that the operational phase of the refinery would create employment for 100 persons and indirect and induced jobs for about 1500 persons.

He emphasised that the Board’s partnership with Duport Midstream and other investors to develop critical energy facilities were conceived to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s drive to create millions of jobs for the Nigerian populace. He assured that NCDMB was committed to creating jobs for Nigerians through its direct projects and partnerships with other projects promoters.

The chairman of Duport Midstream Company, Dr Akintoye Akindele hinted that the project would be the first integrated energy park, with a scalable and environmentally friendly modular refinery, power generation and distribution plant.

The executive secretary and his delegation also paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki at the Government House in Benin.

He remarked during the visit that Section 70 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act mandates the NCDMB to assist local contractors and Nigerian companies to develop their capabilities and capacities to further the attainment of the goal of developing Nigerian Content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.