Reports in certain media outlets that the recently revived ancient Port Harcourt refinery has been closed have been refuted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The refinery is “fully operational,” according to a statement released in Abuja on Saturday by Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd.
After years of closure, the PH refinery, which has a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, reopened two months ago.
The statement briefly stated, “We would like to clarify that such reports are completely untrue, as the refinery is fully operational, as confirmed a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPCL.”
The message further mentioned that the loading operation for the day is still being prepared.
“The public is advised to disregard such reports as they are the fabrications of those who wish to defraud Nigerians and create artificial scarcity,” Soneye continued.
The Nigerian government authorised the rehabilitation of one of the nation’s largest refineries, which was shut down in 2019, for a total of $1.5 billion (1.2 billion euros) three years ago.
Nigeria is one of the biggest producers of crude oil, but because of a shortage of refining infrastructure in the country, it has historically had to import petroleum products.
To maintain low prices for its local market, Nigeria exchanges billions of dollars worth of crude for fuel that it has long subsidised. Amid Nigeria’s declining oil income and foreign exchange constraints, fuel imports and subsidies significantly depleted its foreign exchange reserves.
However, the Dangote refinery started producing petrol in September 2024, months after it claimed to have begun operations.
According to Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, the new Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) complex, which has a capacity of 150,000 barrels per day, is expected to be operational by the middle of 2025.
“The old refinery complex that began full operations can supply 200,000 vehicles with a variety of products every day,” Kyari added.
He claimed that making sure the brand-new machines were completely overhauled was the main obstacle to the complex’s prompt revival.
