The Port Harcourt Refinery has officially resumed full operations after temporarily scaling down its activities for technical adjustments.
The Managing Director of the refinery, Mr. Ibrahim Onoja, made this announcement during a press briefing following a facility tour on Sunday, December 1, 2024. Onoja revealed that the facility has restarted the distribution of refined products, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), kerosene, and diesel.
Onoja highlighted significant upgrades aimed at enhancing the refinery’s efficiency and reliability.
“We replaced most of the equipment, including pump installations and cables. The plant is running, and we are trucking out our products,” Onoja stated.
Additionally, Mr. Moyi Maidunama, Director of Operations for the Nigerian Pipeline Storage Company (NPSC) Ltd, addressed concerns about temporary production reductions. He explained that these adjustments were necessary to resolve technical issues and improve the refinery’s delivery capacity.
Maidunama noted, “Our operations were not totally halted but scaled down to allow improvements, such as getting more loading arms operational. We’ve resumed evacuating refined products, and this will now be a continuous process.”
The terminal manager, Mr. Worlu Joel, confirmed the refinery’s operational efficiency, noting that three of the facility’s 11 functional loading bays are currently in use.
“Each bay can evacuate three trucks in just 15 minutes. With up to 100 trucks, we could clear them in five hours,” Joel stated. However, he expressed concerns over the slow turnout of tanker drivers, despite having surplus products available for distribution.
The resumption follows the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited’s November 26, 2024, announcement that the refinery had begun production after extensive rehabilitation. The revamped facility, equipped with modern technology, is reportedly operating at 70% of its installed refining capacity.
NNPC disclosed that the refinery is producing 1.5 million liters of diesel and 2.1 million liters of Pour Fuel Oil daily, with diesel and fuel oil accounting for the highest output.
Despite these claims, skepticism remains. Timothy Mgbere, a leader of the Alesa community—the refinery’s host community—alleged that the products being loaded were not freshly refined but had been stored in the facility’s tanks for the past three years. He further claimed that only six trucks were loaded on a single day, contrary to NNPC’s statement of evacuating 200 trucks daily.
Reports of halted operations also emerged recently, with workers citing calibration activities expected to last until next week. However, the Port Harcourt Refining Company clarified that operations were scaled down, not stopped, to facilitate necessary improvements.
As full operations resume, the refinery faces the challenge of restoring public confidence while addressing concerns from stakeholders and ensuring smooth product distribution.
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