Port Harcourt Refinery Working At 90% As NNPC Refutes PETROAN’s 70% Operational Capacity

NNPC Denies PETROAN’s Statement

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has clarified that the Port Harcourt refinery is operating at 90% of its capacity, not 70% as claimed by the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN).

In a statement on Friday, NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye said, “The nameplate capacity of the refinery is 60,000 barrels of oil per day. It is currently producing at 90% throughput, which translates to Straight-Run Gasoline (Naptha) blended into 1.4 million litres of PMS, aside from other products like diesel and kerosene.”

This comes after PETROAN’s Thursday statement, signed by spokesperson Joseph Obele, which alleged that the refinery was functioning below the stated capacity.

Clarifying Claims of Operational Status

Soneye also addressed concerns raised by a community member, Timothy Mgbere, who questioned the significance of the refinery’s resumption.

“The attention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has been drawn to a video clip of one Timothy Mgbere, a self-acclaimed ‘community person,’ who alleged that the much-publicised resumption of the Port Harcourt refinery was not worth celebrating. We would have ignored this, but the need to set the records straight compels us,” Soneye explained.

Mgbere had claimed the refinery was merely blending and not refining crude oil. He also alleged that the products being trucked out were old stock, not freshly refined PMS.

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Rebutting Skeptics with Operational Details

NNPC emphasised that both the Old and New Port Harcourt refineries operate as an integrated complex with shared facilities, including a single terminal for product distribution.

“The Old and New Port Harcourt Refineries share common utilities like power and storage tanks. This means that storage tanks and loading gantries, which Mgbere claimed belong to the New Port Harcourt Refinery, can also receive products from the Old Port Harcourt Refinery,” the statement added.

NNPC further dismissed Mgbere’s assertions as contradictory. Soneye said, “He claimed that old PMS stock from the Old Port Harcourt Refinery moved to the loading gantry of the New Port Harcourt Refinery for show. Yet, he insists that newly refined PMS cannot be transported similarly. This is nothing but ignorance on full display!”

NNPC Urges Public to Verify Facts

The NNPC advised the public to disregard Mgbere’s claims and rely on verified information. “The claims of this so-called ‘community person’ are clearly borne out of mischief and ignorance. The Old Port Harcourt Refinery is not only functional but achieving significant throughput,” Soneye reiterated.

The Port Harcourt refinery, located in Rivers State, has a combined capacity of 260,000 barrels per day. While the Old Refinery has resumed production at 90% capacity, the New Refinery, with a nameplate capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, is still undergoing rehabilitation.

PETROAN Maintains Position

Meanwhile, PETROAN maintains its stance on the refinery’s operational capacity. “It is more important to state here that the functional plant in operation is the Old Refinery with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day,” Obele stated.

NNPC’s clarification aims to dispel misinformation and provide transparency regarding the refinery’s performance as efforts to boost domestic refining capacity continue.