The excitement surrounding the resumption of activities at the Port Harcourt Refinery on Tuesday, November 26, has quickly faded, leaving many Nigerians questioning the refinery’s true operational status.
As of Friday, November 29, it was indicated that there was no activity on-site.
Some workers claimed that the refinery was undergoing calibration, which could last until the following week.
The Port Harcourt Refinery has been plagued by multiple delays and missed deadlines regarding its return to full operations.
Despite this, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Melee Kyari, had inaugurated a new plant at the refinery’s Area 5 terminal on November 26, with reports suggesting that up to 200 petrol trucks were loading daily from the facility.
However, skepticism quickly followed as it emerged that the trucks were reportedly filled with old products stored in the tanks, not fresh refined fuel.
A visit to the Area 5 terminal confirmed that there were no visible signs of active operations.
An anonymous official further disclosed that the trucks were carrying what is known as dead stock products that are no longer suitable for sale from the refinery.
This has raised concerns about the refinery’s actual readiness to meet Nigeria’s fuel demands and the credibility of the resumption announcement.
“Before the refinery was shut down between 2015/2016, we had dead stock left in the tank, including some Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) DPK (kerosene), and Automated Gas Oil (diesel),” He said.
“So, these products were in large quantities in stores in those tanks. During the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, Old Area 5, those products were evacuated from the tanks for storage.”
However, he pointed out that the substantial amount of refined petrol was off-spec and needed to be separated from water in order to produce the desired product with the correct color.
“But for DPK, it is in large quantity but they have not pushed it from the tank where it was kept after refined ready for commercial purposes.
“So, the product that was loaded was dead stock, that is the old product that was in the system. So, after these dead stocks, they will have to clean the tank, remove all the debris before pumping the new project into that tank, and redye it,” the source said.
The worker emphasized that refineries globally should be operated electronically rather than manually.
“But what they are trying to do at the Port Harcourt Refinery is manual, which cannot match the new digital pumps. Most of the pumps used for the event were refurbished,” he added.
He explained that during Kyari’s visit on Tuesday, November 26, seven trucks were prepared for loading, but only five were filled with petrol.
At the inauguration on the same day, the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Taken Ikpaki, expressed optimism, stating that more trucks were expected to arrive at the facility for product loading in the coming days.
However, instead of the anticipated influx, the number of trucks at the refinery decreased.
Nine trucks were parked on site, but the loading bays, numbered from one to eighteen, were completely empty, and some workers were seen lying down.
When asked about the lack of activity, a worker in overalls explained that there had been no further operations since the initial loading, attributing it to technical issues.
“They are de-watering, removing the water under the PMS. Maybe there will be loading after that, but we don’t know what time today.” The worker said.
Another worker at the loading bay explained that the delay was due to ongoing calibration of the refinery’s systems.
“They are calibrating the meters,” he said tersely.
It was revealed that the petrol left in the storage tanks may not be sufficient to fill five trucks.
A source further stated that calibration work was set to continue until Monday, December 2, with the loading of DPK (kerosene) and AGO (diesel) expected to commence thereafter.
A resident from Alode in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, who identified himself only as Osaro, shared his thoughts.
“After that ceremony with Mele Kyari where they said the refinery had started operation and loading was taking place, what happened afterwards? They continued loading on air, that is on the pages of newspapers and social media,” Osaro said.
Dr. Joseph Obelle, the National Public Relations Officer of the Petroleum Product Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), explained that the delay was due to the ongoing calibration process.
“They are calibrating the loading pumps. They will be done today,” Obelle said.
On Thursday, November 28, the Senate Committee on Petroleum conducted a facility tour of the Port Harcourt refinery, though the results of their visit have not been disclosed.
In response to claims made by Timothy Mgbere, a leader from the Alesa community, who alleged that the refinery was not producing fuel, the NNPC issued a statement refuting the accusation.
Soneye, a spokesperson for the NNPC, criticized Mgbere, accusing him of lacking understanding of refinery operations.
“The old and new Port Harcourt refineries have since been integrated with one single terminal for product load-out. They share common utilities like power and storage tanks. This means that storage tanks and loading gantry which he claimed belongs to the new Port-Harcourt Refinery can also receive products from the Old Port Harcourt Refinery,” Soneye said.
He urged the public to dismiss the claims, describing them as nothing more than misguided and ignorant statements made with ill intent.
Watch the video below.
