Port Harcourt refinery provides diesel whereas shut – NMDPRA

The Port Harcourt Refining Firm, which is presently shut down, continues to be supplying 349,000 litres of automotive gasoline oil, in any other case referred to as diesel, every day, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority disclosed this within the newest knowledge posted on its web site.

In accordance with the NMDPRA, the refinery, which the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted shut down on Could 24, 2025, was nonetheless having diesel evacuated into the market every day as of November.

Whereas stressing that there aren’t any manufacturing actions on the refinery because of its present shutdown mode, the regulatory company disclosed that the diesel produced earlier than it was shut down was nonetheless being evacuated as of November.

“No manufacturing actions because the (Port Harcourt) refinery remained in shutdown mode. Nonetheless, evacuation of AGO produced whereas the refinery was operational earlier than twenty fourth Could 2025 continued at a mean of 0.349 million litres/day,” the NMDPRA knowledge learn.

The shutdown of the Port Harcourt Refining Firm for upkeep has entered its seventh month, and the plant has but to renew operations.

Sunday PidomNigeria remembers that the quick previous Chief Company Communications Officer of the NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, instructed our correspondent on Could 23 that the refinery can be shut down for one month of upkeep.

On Could 24, Soneye issued an official assertion, saying the shutdown of the refinery for upkeep. Nonetheless, greater than seven months later, the refinery has but to start out producing gasoline.

The Port Harcourt refinery was declared operational by the previous Group Chief Govt Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, in November 2024, after years of inactivity.

Then, the NNPC boss stated the 60,000-capacity refinery had resumed full operations. It stated the newly rehabilitated complicated of the previous Port Harcourt refinery, which had been revamped and upgraded with fashionable tools, was working at a refining capability of 70 per cent of its put in capability.

The corporate added that diesel and pour gasoline oil can be the very best outputs from the refinery, with a every day capability of 1.5 million litres and a pair of.1 million litres, respectively.

This was anticipated to be adopted by a every day output of straight-run gasoline (naphtha) blended into 1.4 million litres of premium motor spirit, 900,000 litres of kerosene, and a pair of.1 million litres of low-pour gasoline oil. It was acknowledged then that about 200 vans of petrol can be launched into the Nigerian market every day.

Nonetheless, six months after the much-publicised rehabilitation completion and resumption of manufacturing, the power was locked once more.

Equally, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Firm, which was declared open by Kyari in December, was shut down a month later.

On his assumption of workplace, the brand new Group Chief Govt of the NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, stated he studied the situation of the Port Harcourt refinery and found that the nation was operating it at a loss.

Ojulari had acknowledged that the refinery was dropping as a lot as $500m each month on operations earlier than rehabilitation works have been suspended. In accordance with Ojulari, the refinery was pumping about 50,000 barrels of crude, however lower than 40 per cent of the equal of what was moving into was being processed successfully.

He stated, “Once I resumed, one of many first priorities I targeted on was the refinery. I did a fast overview to see if we may shortly repair it. What I discovered is that we have been dropping between $300m and $500m on a month-to-month foundation. The very first thing we stated was, ‘Reasonably than proceed to lose, let’s shortly cease and search for a solution to put this refinery right into a sustainably worthwhile enterprise.”

The Petroleum Merchandise Retail Shops Homeowners Affiliation of Nigeria has referred to as for the privatisation of Nigeria’s 4 state-owned refineries, urging the Federal Authorities to transparently conclude the method by the primary quarter of 2026.

The affiliation stated the well timed privatisation of the refineries operated by the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted would remove the recurring fiscal burden on the federal government, enhance operational effectivity, appeal to personal capital and technical experience, and align Nigeria’s refining sector with world greatest practices.

However Ojulari has as soon as rejected requires the sale of the refineries, expressing confidence that the three crops can be revamped. In accordance with him, the continued technical and business overview is a part of a broader plan to reposition the refineries as sustainable, revenue-generating property that may meet Nigeria’s gasoline demand and align with worldwide operational requirements.