The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has once again failed to commence fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State, despite six previous postponements as of August 2024.
According to *The PUNCH*, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC have consistently failed to meet deadlines promised to Nigerians regarding the refinery’s operations.
After missing the early August deadline, NNPC’s Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, assured the public that the refinery would begin operations by September 2024, with petroleum products ready for testing before entering the domestic market.
However, as September ended, no update on the refinery was provided. Attempts to reach the NNPC for comments last week were unsuccessful, with Chief Corporate Communications Officer Olufemi Soneye failing to respond to inquiries sent on September 22 and 30, 2024.
In contrast, Maire Tecnimont SpA, the contractor overseeing the refinery’s rehabilitation, has committed to providing a project update by or before October 2. The contractor conveyed this through the law firm Olajide Oyewole LLP, in response to letters from Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who sought details on the project’s completion timeline.
Since December 2023, the NNPC has issued multiple assurances about the refinery’s readiness, each falling short. In July, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari confidently stated that the refinery would begin operations in early August, a promise that has not been fulfilled.
The Port Harcourt refinery, with a capacity of 210,000 barrels per day, was said to have reached mechanical completion in December 2023. NNPC projected that the refinery would begin refining 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily after Christmas last year, and by January, the facility was reportedly undergoing tests. Hopes were further raised in February when Shell Petroleum Development Company completed the supply of 475,000 barrels of crude oil to the facility.
However, delays have persisted, with independent petroleum marketers predicting a July start date, and the NNPC attributing the hold-up to regulatory approvals. Nigerians, disappointed by the long-standing failure of the nation’s refineries, continue to rely heavily on imported fuel, costing the country up to N2 trillion monthly.
Despite efforts to revive the Port Harcourt refinery, including a $1.5 billion loan secured by the Nigerian government in 2021 for its renovation, the facility remains non-operational.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a critic of the government’s handling of the refineries, has repeatedly called for their sale to private investors, echoing his earlier advice to past administrations.
As concerns mount, the nation awaits the contractor’s update on October 2, which may shed light on the much-anticipated completion of the refinery’s rehabilitation.
