Nigeria’s Delayed Port Harcourt Refinery Pushes Back Rollout
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has yet to announce a new rollout date for petroleum products from its Port Harcourt refinery, further extending the series of missed deadlines. Despite multiple targets set, including August 2024, the 250-barrels-per-day refinery has still not gone operational.
Earlier, in August, Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajiya announced that the refinery would be testing petroleum products in September, ahead of commercial supply to the domestic market. However, a direct inquiry by the Media Talk Africa correspondent on Tuesday met with silence from Olufemi Soneye, NNPCL’s spokesperson. Similarly, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, also refrained from providing an update.
Contrasting statements, though, come from Maire Tecnimont SpA, the Italian engineering firm responsible for rehabilitating the refinery. Through the law firm Olajide Oyewole LLP, they promised to release completion details by October 2, 2024.
In related comments, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria President Abubakar Maigandi told Media Talk Africa that works were underway at the Port Harcourt Refinery but did not provide a specific start date for petroleum products distribution.
NNPCL earlier set July 2024 and then March 2024 as milestones, followed by mechanical completion in December 2023. When the Dangote refinery begins production, expectations grow that it could alleviate some pressure on fuel prices. Petrol prices in Nigeria currently range between N950 and N1,100 per liter, which will be re-assessed should the refineries meet these targets.
These refineries are crucial steps in expanding Nigeria’s capacity to locally produce petroleum products. Given the continued silence, there remains much to be watched and reported.
