The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has clarified that the Port Harcourt Refinery is fully operational, contrary to insinuation that it has been shut down.
The national oil company made the clarification in a release by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Saturday.
The clarification was coming against the backdrop of reports in some sections of the media that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery, which was re-streamed two months ago, has been shut down.
NNPCL asserted that the reports were totally false and further declared that preparation was ongoing for the day’s loading operation at the Port Harcourt Refinery.
It also stated that the reports were the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip off Nigerians.
“The attention of the NNPCL has been drawn to reports in a section of the media alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery, which was re-streamed two months ago, has been shut down.
“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false as the refinery is fully operational as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC.
“Preparation for the day’s loading operation is currently ongoing.
“Members of the public are advised to discountenance such reports as they are the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip off Nigerians,” Soneye stated in the release.
There was a media report that the Port Harcourt Refinery, which resumed production about one month ago, had stopped working, two months after it was re-streamed.
According to the report, lifting of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, had stopped since Thursday, 19 December, 2024.
It was stated in the report that the lifting of petrol at the facility had actually stopped since Friday, 13 December, as the 18-arm loading bay of the New Port Harcourt Refinery was allegedly empty.
About 18 trucks were reportedly seen littering the stretch of the busy road leading to the refinery itself, while nine trucks were said to have been spotted inside the parking yard.
The depot, which is usually a beehive of activities where tankers scramble for space at the parking yard, was said to have been a shadow of itself with literally no vehicular or human activity relating to operations.
Recall that the rehabilitated 60,000 barrel per day production capacity Port Harcourt Refinery was inaugurated by the NNPCL GCEO, Mallam Mele Kyari, on Tuesday, 26 November 26, 2024.
