ABUJA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Nigeria's state oil company has
opened bids for investors to carry out engineering work in a
revamp of its refinery in the southern oil city of Port
Harcourt, it said on Tuesday.
In August, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) said it was asking investors to bid to fix pipelines and
depots serving its four oil refineries. And the following month
it said it was holding talks to give up majority stakes in the
refineries. The refineries, located at three sites, have run only
sporadically and NNPC shut them down earlier this year while
they awaited repairs and upgrades.
"The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has
opened a new chapter in its refineries rehabilitation project
with the public opening of bids on Monday for the Engineering,
Procurement, and Construction phase of the rehabilitation of the
Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC)," NNPC said in a statement
issued on Tuesday.
Africa's top oil exporter has made producing its own fuels a
priority for years but efforts in recent years to revamp its
refineries have failed, leaving it almost entirely reliant on
imports.
In the statement, NNPC said it remained committed to
overhauling the country's refineries "ensure reduction of
petroleum products importation, create jobs and improve the
national economy".