Celebration Short-Lived: Port Harcourt Refinery Ceases Production

Less than a month after the Port Harcourt Refining Company resumed operations, the facility has ceased production once more. A visit by reporters on December 19, 2024, revealed an empty loading bay and halted lifting of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). Tankers lined the roads outside the refinery, with no loading activities taking place within.

This comes just weeks after the much-publicized inauguration of the refurbished 60,000 barrels-per-day refinery on November 26, 2024. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) had celebrated the plant’s reopening, following a $1.5 billion rehabilitation approved in 2021. During the ceremony, a few trucks lifted petrol, creating the impression of a fully operational facility. However, insiders later claimed that the lifted products were old stock from storage tanks.

After a brief period of activity earlier this month, operations at the facility have again ground to a halt. Tanker drivers and petroleum marketers have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency and inconsistent operations. Drivers lingering at the depot reported being told that loading would resume on Monday, though many doubted this claim.

Petroleum marketer Dappa Jubobaraye criticized the refinery’s state, accusing NNPC officials of staging the reopening for public relations purposes. He alleged that most of the refinery’s equipment, including 15 of its 18 loading arms, remains non-functional. Jubobaraye claimed that recent product loadings were minimal and restricted to NNPC’s mega stations, with independent marketers excluded.

Attempts to reach NNPC spokesperson Femi Soneye for clarification were unsuccessful as of the time of this report. As tanker drivers wait indefinitely and the public questions the refinery’s actual operational status, skepticism grows about the $1.5 billion rehabilitation effort’s effectiveness.