The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) is seeking private companies to take over the operation and maintenance of two key refineries. In a recent call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) shared on its official X handle, NNPC Ltd announced its intention to engage reputable and credible firms to manage the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).

This initiative aims to enhance the reliability and sustainability of Nigeria’s fuel supply, addressing the country’s energy security needs. NNPC Ltd outlined that the tender process for the operations and maintenance of both WRPC and KRPC will be conducted as a unified tender process with three stages: EOI, Technical, and Commercial. The focus will be on optimizing opportunities in areas such as the procurement of consumables, personnel and manpower management, the use of Computerised Maintenance Management Software (CMMS), and the implementation of a Warehousing Management System (WMS), among other considerations.

The circular issued by NNPC Ltd also specified several statutory requirements that companies must meet to qualify for the bidding process. The Warri Refinery has a capacity of 125,000 barrels per day (bpd), while the Kaduna Refinery has a capacity of 110,000 bpd. Both refineries are part of Nigeria’s network of four refineries, which have been largely non-operational for years, resulting in a heavy reliance on imported petroleum products.