The Edo State Government has formally handed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) for the site of its proposed Oredo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited, as part of a new refinery project in the state.
Governor Monday Okpebholo presented the document on Friday, 13 November 2026, during a courtesy visit by an NNPC delegation to Government House in Benin City.
It was received by Alhaji Mumuni Dagazau, NNPC’s Executive Vice President for Downstream.
The certificate secures the land for the project. It is not a licence to refine petroleum products, and the facility has yet to be built. Such a licence would come later from the sector regulator, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
According to reports, Mr Dagazau praised the governor for providing the land and the required documentation, and said NNPC would work with the state and other stakeholders to see the project through. He said the refinery fits the federal government’s energy security goals.
Governor Okpebholo, for his part, restated his administration’s readiness to support investment in the state and said the project would widen Edo’s commercial base and bring economic benefits to residents.
The handover follows an agreement announced in February 2026, under which Edo and NNPC will jointly develop a 10,000-barrels-per-day condensate refinery. Completion was targeted within 24 to 36 months, with the plant to be sited across the Oredo and Orhionmwon Local Government Areas.
The state government pledged to provide land, certificates of occupancy, security and other logistical support.
The refinery is projected to produce about 20 truckloads of premium motor spirit (petrol) a day, improving fuel supply in Edo and neighbouring states.
If completed, the Oredo project would bring the number of refineries in the state to three. The others are the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, which has received an operational licence from the NMDPRA, and the Duport Midstream Refinery at Duport Energy Park in Egbokor, Orhionmwon.
The project’s total cost, the size of the site and a construction start date have not been publicly confirmed. Officials say the refinery will boost domestic refining capacity, create jobs, encourage technology transfer and promote local participation.
Administrator and Writer
