NNPC Debunks Reports, Maintains Port Harcourt Refinery Has Begun Production

By Abiola Olawale

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has debunked emerging reports claiming that the Port-Harcourt refinery in Alesa Eleme, southeast of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, hasn’t started production of petroleum products as reported by the oil company earlier on Tuesday.

The NNPCL maintained that the 60,000 barrels-per-day Old Port Harcourt Refinery has commenced production and it is currently operating at 70%.

It would be recalled that a report published by the SaharaReporters had claimed that the NNPCL is not trucking out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, from the Port Harcourt Refinery.

The report also claimed that NNPCL purportedly bought “Cracked C5 petroleum resins” and blended it with other products, including Naphtha, to sell to the Nigerian public as though the refinery processed it.

However, the NNPCL in a statement issued by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, described the report as false and baseless.

Soneye revealed that the Port Harcourt refinery has begun production of Kerosene, diesel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, among others.

The statement reads in part: “We are, however, aware of unfounded claims by certain individuals suggesting that the refinery is not producing products. For clarity, the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is currently operating at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90%. The refinery is producing the following daily outputs:
• Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha): Blended into 1.4 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol)
• Kerosene: 900,000 litres
• Automotive Gas Oil (AGO or Diesel): 1.5 million litres
• Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO): 2.1 million litres
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG): Additional volumes

“It is worth noting that the refinery incorporates crack C5, a blending component from our sister company, Indorama Petrochemicals (formerly Eleme Petrochemicals), to produce gasoline that meets the required specifications. Blending is a standard practice in refineries globally, as no single unit can produce gasoline that fully complies with any country’s standards without such processes.

“Additionally, we have made substantial progress on the new Port Harcourt Refinery, which will begin operations soon without prior announcements.”