There are uncertainties and controversies surrounding the operations of the recently refurbished Port Harcourt refinery.
A recent report said the facility has stopped operations just weeks after restating production.
PH allegedly halts production
The report said a recent visit to the plant on December 19, 2024, showed it no longer produced petrol.
It stated that the refinery stopped distributing petrol on December 13, saying its 18-arm loading area, where trucks filled up with PMS, was empty.
Punch reports that while 18 trucks were parked along the main road, nine others were in the parking area, and none were loading petroleum products.
The Punch reported that the loading area was empty three weeks ago, and PEROAN said the development was due to equipment calibration and water removal from oil fuel supplies.
NNPC reacts to report
Reacting to the development, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) dismissed the report, saying the facility remains fully operational.
The statement issued by NNPC’s chief communications officer, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed the refinery’s status during a recent visit by Mele Kyari, NNPC’s Group CEO.
The NNPC asked Nigerians to disregard the report, describing it as baseless and meant to incite panic and cause fuel scarcity.
Another Nigerian refinery begins fuel export
Legit.ng earlier reported that Kepler, a data analysis firm, has disclosed that the newly refurbished Port Harcourt refinery has already started exporting petroleum products.
The firm reported that the refinery sold its first cargo of low-sulfur straight-run fuel to Dubai-based Gulf Transport and Trading Limited.
It also said the facility started its Coolant Distribution Unit 1, with an estimated pinning operation of 20,000 barrels daily.
