The Board and Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) have defended the outputs of the Old Port Harcourt Refinery, maintaining that blending is a standard practice globally.
NNPCL’s reaction on Tuesday, in a statement signed by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, responded to a report claiming that the refinery, instead of processing crude oil, bought “Cracked C5 petroleum resins” and blended them with other products, including Naphtha, to sell to the Nigerian public as though the refinery had processed them.
Soneye stated that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is currently operating at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90%, adding that claims by “certain individuals suggesting that the refinery is not producing products” are untrue.
NNPCL Clarifies
- Soneye began by expressing appreciation to Nigerians for their support and excitement over the safe and successful restart of the 60,000 barrels-per-day Old Port Harcourt Refinery.
- He added that the achievement marks a significant step forward after years of operational challenges and underperformance.
For the purpose of clarification, he disclosed that the refinery is producing the following daily outputs:
- Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha): Blended into 1.4 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol)
- Kerosene: 900,000 liters
- Automotive Gas Oil (AGO or Diesel): 1.5 million liters
- Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO): 2.1 million liters
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG): Additional volumes
According to the NNPCL spokesperson, blending is a standard practice in which the Port Harcourt refinery is involved, and it is globally accepted.
“It is worth noting that the refinery incorporates Cracked C5, a blending component from our sister company, Indorama Petrochemicals (formerly Eleme Petrochemicals), to produce gasoline that meets required specifications. Blending is a standard practice in refineries globally, as no single unit can produce gasoline that fully complies with any country’s standards without such processes.
“Additionally, we have made substantial progress on the new Port Harcourt Refinery, which will begin operations soon without prior announcements,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians to focus on the remarkable achievements being realized under President Bola Tinubu and support efforts aimed at delivering more dividends to the nation.
He alleged that the malicious attacks aimed at undermining the strides made by NNPCL and the country should be disregarded.
More Insights
On Tuesday, Soneye announced, “Today marks a monumental achievement for Nigeria as the Port Harcourt Refinery officially commences crude oil processing. This groundbreaking milestone signifies a new era of energy independence and economic growth for our nation.”
- President Bola Tinubu commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for successfully reviving the Port Harcourt refinery, which commenced petroleum product loading on November 26, 2024.
- Tinubu also urged the firm to expedite the scheduled reactivation of the second Port Harcourt refinery as well as the Warri and Kaduna refineries.
- The issue of “blending” has been a substantial point of discussion among relevant oil and gas stakeholders, including Dangote Refinery.