Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) during the 2015 budget defence on Thursday in Abuja that the NNPC could not afford the bills for their turnaround maintece from the original builders. Okon, who was in the company of the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Joseph Dawah, told the senators that when the corporation invited the builders from Japan and Italy for turnaround maintece, they declined and instead, they recommended SAIPEM, a foreign firm operating in Nigeria to carry out the turnaround maintece on their behalf. He explained that the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were built by two Japanese firm, Chioda and JGC, the Warri Refinery was built by Snapcogetti of Italy. "The refineries would work again at full capacity, we already have plans to bring them back to perform at full capacity. We have discarded the initial plan of carrying out a comprehensive turn around maintece initiated in 2011," he stated. He stated the management of the NNPC considered the prices to be on the high side and that given its financial situation, decided to look inward by inviting local contractors that are familiar with the facilities to work with in-house engineers to rehabilitate the plants.
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