NIGERIA - Phase Three.

The next step by NNPC was to begin work on Phase Three projects, originally set to be completed by 1990. Related ventures have been on the drawing board since the 1970s. The objective of Phase Three is for Nigeria to be able to produce aromatics, such as xylene.

(Aromatics can be used in the manufacture of a wide range of goods, including fibres and complex plastics).

Phase Three projects, when completed, will get feedstocks from the second refinery at Port Harcourt and ethane from the gas fields. It remains to be seen when this phase will be implemented.

When first conceived in the 1970s, Phases Two and Three were estimated to require $4bn in investments. The projects were rejected by the World Bank in view of more cautious market projections for petrochemical demand at the time. The projects were scaled down as a result.

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