The manager of the Old Port Harcourt Refinery has confirmed that the facility is now fully operational, following ongoing debates and conflicting reports regarding the resumption of its 60,000-barrel-per-day production capacity.
Last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) clarified that the refinery is operating at 90% capacity, contrary to earlier claims by the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), which had stated the facility was working at 70%.
In a statement issued Thursday, PETROAN’s spokesperson Joseph Obele emphasized that the association, as part of its oversight role, has direct access to the plant with management’s authorization.
The statement clarified that the functional facility is the old refinery, with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day. Meanwhile, the new Port Harcourt refinery, with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, is still undergoing rehabilitation and is expected to begin production soon, according to NNPCL’s management.
Both refineries are located within the same complex in Alesa Eleme, Rivers State.
Responding to further claims, NNPCL’s spokesperson Olufemi Soneye confirmed on Friday that, although the refinery’s nameplate capacity is 60,000 barrels per day, it is currently operating at 90% of its capacity.
He also addressed allegations that the refinery was producing 1.4 million barrels per day, stressing that such claims were false.
Instead, the refinery is producing approximately 1.4 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphta), in addition to other products like diesel and kerosene.
The company also refuted claims by Timothy Mgbere, a local community member, who argued that the refinery was not worth celebrating and was only blending and pushing out old stock.
During a tour of the facility on Sunday, the refinery’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Onoja, dismissed these allegations, insisting that the refinery is fully operational. He criticized Mgbere for spreading false information and urged the public to disregard such claims.
Dibia Isaiah, the Chief Security Officer of Alesa Kingdom, also came to the refinery’s defense, labeling Mgbere an impostor and accusing him of attempting to discredit the facility’s management.
Isaiah, who also works as a loader, stated that the refinery had been operational since Tuesday and that he had personally loaded four trucks with products.
He emphasized that both local communities and Nigerians at large were pleased with the refinery’s performance.
Meanwhile, Terminal Manager Molokwu Chike Jewel pointed out that the slow pace of loading activities was due to a shortage of tanker drivers.
Despite efforts to encourage drivers to arrive, only a few showed up, though the refinery has the capacity to load up to 100 trucks in under five hours when fully staffed.
Jewel added that the refinery’s loading arms are fully operational, though they are currently using three, each capable of loading three trucks every 15 minutes.
Tanker driver James Onyema also confirmed that the refinery is functioning smoothly and that drivers are satisfied with the development. During the facility tour, both production and truck loading operations were observed to be ongoing.
In a previous statement, NNPCL had confirmed that the Port Harcourt refinery had resumed production and truck loading, marking a significant step in the facility’s revival.
The Port Harcourt refinery complex comprises two plants, with the old refinery capable of processing 60,000 barrels per day, and the new plant designed for 150,000 barrels per day.
