NNPC Invites Stakeholders to Tour Port Harcourt Refinery, Speaks on Operation

• Loading operations at the former Port Harcourt Refinery have already begun, according to Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited
• There has been discussion about the refinery's operating state, with some individuals questioning whether it will function as planned
• The head of NNPC clarified the dispute around product mixing by saying that it is an essential step in the refining process

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) asserted that loading activities at the former Port Harcourt Refinery are already operational.

This was revealed in a statement released by Olufemi Soneye, NNPC Ltd.'s corporate communications officer, on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

According to Mr. Soneye, the confirmation was provided by Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., during the Wednesday commissioning of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) towers in Lagos.

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After extensive renovation, NNPC Ltd announced last Tuesday that the Port Harcourt refinery has resumed production.

According to NNPC Ltd in a Premium Times report, the refinery started loading petroleum products onto trucks on Tuesday, November 26.

NNPC invites stakeholders for tour

The refinery's operational condition has generated debate, with some people doubting it will work as intended.

According to the statement, Mr Kyari, in a goodwill message at the event, extended an invitation to human rights activist and lawyer Femi Falana and all those in doubt to join the NNPC Ltd on a tour of the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna to verify their status.

He also shed light on the controversy around product blending, stating that blending was not a crime as it is an integral part of the refining process.

“If you don’t blend, you will bring out off-spec products which will destroy your vehicles. Every refinery blends because what is on the specification in the United States of America will be off-spec in Nigeria and elsewhere.

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“Blending is necessary to bring products to the specification of different countries or regions,” he explained,” Mr Kyari said.

Additionally, Kyari complimented NUPENG on the successful completion of its towers and advised the union to keep putting communication and collaboration at the forefront of its interactions with the federal government and NNPC Ltd.

He revealed that the president's executive order interventions in the oil and gas sector resulted in increased investments and the possibility of more jobs.

Group calls for NNPC’s sack

Legit.ng reported that the Coalition for Economic Liberation and Transformation (CELT) has strongly criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) management for prioritizing fuel imports above domestic refining.

The group said that N3 trillion in petroleum import costs resulted from the importation of petroleum products in just 42 days.

According to the coalition, between October 1 and November 11, Nigeria imported 1,500 metric tons, or two billion litres, of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 414,018 metric tons, or 500 million litres, of gasoline, and 13,500 metric tons, or 17 million litres, of aviation fuel.

Source: Legit.ng