The Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company has begun to supply oil merchants with kerosene and automotive gas oil (diesel).
As they requested Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from the recently renovated facility on Friday, dealers gave reporters confirmation of this.
After Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), announced the company’s return to operations during a tour of the facility, WRPC, which is managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, went online on December 30, 2024.
Harry Okenini, the chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria’s Delta State branch, told reporters at the refinery that while the plant was operating, it was not operating at full capacity.
But he also noted that marketers had begun to remove diesel and kerosene from the refinery.
“At the moment, there is no production of petrol, so we are not loading PMS. We hope to load PMS soon. We can confirm to you that the plant is working but not at 100%. And IPMAN, Warri Depot Unit, is waiting for the production of PMS so that we can load.
At the moment, only the Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel, and Dual Purpose Kerosene are being produced and loaded out for consumption.”
Israel Omokere, National Chairman of the Surface Tank and Kerosene Peddlers, a division of NUPENG, told reporters at the refinery that it was operational.
“I hope PMS will join the team,” he remarked. “At the moment, we are loading AGO and kerosene.”
NUPENG’s Surface Tank and Kerosene Peddlers chapter chairman in Delta State, Kingsley Erituoyo, stated: “The refinery is up today after being down for a long time.”
The Warri refinery’s findings revealed that there was little truck movement entering and leaving the site.
In contrast to the refinery’s peak, when it was operating at full capacity, it was noted that skeletal activities were still taking place at the WRPC.
According to industry insiders, additional measures need to be implemented by the NNPCL and the Nigerian government before the refinery can start producing PMS in full.
It was also noted during a tour of the WRPC complex that the refinery’s main entrance appeared to be empty.
Journalists were prohibited from taking pictures of the property by security personnel stationed at the gate.
According to internal sources, just one of the refinery’s three units was operational and generating kerosene, petrol, and diesel.
“Currently, the unit is unable to provide gasoline. It can generate PMS if the second unit is operational. Due to its complexity and size, it is the final unit to operate.”
“We can load over 100 trucks a day if all units are operating; at the moment, it loaded about 50 trucks,” a source stated.
