There are strong indications that the Port Harcourt Refinery, owned by the Nigerian government, has stopped operations less than a month after resuming production following its rehabilitation.
A member of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), who spoke under anonymity, disclosed to METROBLOG on Saturday that petrol lifting at the refinery had stopped since December 13, 2024. According to the source, tanker drivers have been stationed at the refinery’s 18-arm loading bay, awaiting further developments. The source expressed optimism that operations might resume by Monday, December 23, 2024, stating, “There has been no petrol lifting activity at the plant since last week. Tanker drivers are waiting, and there’s hope that lifting will recommence by Monday.”
Efforts to confirm the development were initially met with silence from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, who did not respond to inquiries on Saturday morning.
The refinery, which underwent rehabilitation costing $1.5 billion approved in 2021, was re-commissioned on November 26, 2024, amidst mixed reactions. The NNPC had announced that over 200 trucks had loaded petrol from the facility, but conflicting reports claimed only 10 trucks were loaded on the inauguration day, with allegations that the products lifted were from old stock.
However, NNPC later addressed the claims of a shutdown, with Soneye issuing a statement refuting the reports. He assured that the Port Harcourt Refinery is fully operational and dismissed the allegations as unfounded. “The attention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has been drawn to reports alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery, which was re-streamed two months ago, has been shut down. Such reports are entirely false. The refinery remains fully operational, as verified recently by former Group Managing Directors of the NNPC,” the statement read.
Soneye further explained that preparations for daily loading operations are ongoing and urged the public to disregard the shutdown rumors. He accused certain individuals of attempting to create artificial scarcity and exploit Nigerians.
The conflicting reports have left many stakeholders questioning the refinery’s operational capacity and the long-term sustainability of the multi-billion-dollar rehabilitation project.
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