By Abidemi Samuel
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There are strong indications that the state-owned Port Harcourt Refinery has ceased operation once more, barely a month after its rehabilitation. A reliable source within the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) association, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed this development to Spyronews on Saturday. By
According to the source, the lifting of petrol at the refinery has been suspended since December 13, 2024. Although there is a glimmer of hope that production might resume by Monday, December 23, 2024, tanker drivers are currently waiting at the 18-arm loading bay of the new Port Harcourt refinery.
“I can confirm that there has been no petrol lifting activity at the plant since last week, 13th December. Tanker drivers are waiting until Monday, hoping that petrol lifting will recommence,” the source disclosed to Spyronews.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, were unsuccessful, as he failed to respond to inquiries on the matter.
It is worth noting that the NNPC had announced on November 26 that petrol lifting had commenced at the Port Harcourt refinery, following a $1.5 billion rehabilitation project approved in 2021. However, the development was met with both optimism and skepticism.
While the NNPC claimed that over 200 trucks loaded petrol from the facility, contrary reports emerged suggesting that only 10 trucks lifted petrol on the inauguration day. Furthermore, there were allegations that the petrol products lifted on the inauguration day were old stocks, which the NNPC vehemently denied.
The latest development has raised concerns about the refinery’s operational capacity and the NNPC’s ability to sustain production. As the nation awaits clarification from the NNPC, the uncertainty surrounding the Port Harcourt refinery’s operations continues to fuel concerns.
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