Port Harcourt Refinery Restart Secured, Say Oil Marketers

Port Harcourt Refinery Restart Secured, Say Oil Marketers

Nigeria’s oil marketers have rekindled optimism that the Port Harcourt Refinery will soon begin commercial production……CONTINUE READING

Billy Gillis-Harry, the national president of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), shared this encouraging update in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Monday.

Gillis-Harry revealed that during his recent visit to the 250,000 barrels per day refinery, he observed significant progress indicating that the facility is ready to commence large-scale production of petroleum products.

He emphasized that the full operational launch of both the Port Harcourt Refinery and the Dangote Refinery could mark the end of fuel shortages across Nigeria.

“The Port Harcourt Refinery is on the verge of starting commercial production. We are hopeful that this will happen in the coming days or weeks. I personally visited the refinery and witnessed the ongoing efforts to ensure its functionality,” Gillis-Harry told DAILY POST.

In a related interview, oil and gas expert Zakka Bala underscored the importance of reviving Nigeria’s government-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna to secure the nation’s energy future.

Bala pointed out that while the Dangote Refinery is a private enterprise focused on profit, the state-owned refineries are crucial for serving the Nigerian public.

He stressed that the government must protect these national assets from those who may want to hinder their success.

“My concern lies with the government-owned refineries. The Dangote Refinery is a private venture designed to maximize profits. It’s important to recognize that private businesses are profit-driven. If private refineries start receiving crude allocations meant for national refineries, they might work to keep those refineries from becoming operational,” Bala told DAILY POST.

It’s worth noting that in July 2024, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), projected that the Port Harcourt Refinery would begin operations in August this year.

NNPCL had previously set March and July 2024 as target dates for the refinery’s restart following its mechanical completion in December of the previous year.

The Nigerian government had approved $1.5 billion in 2021 for the turnaround maintenance of the refinery.

Recently, Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman of the Senate Committee investigating alleged economic sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, called for an inquiry into the $1.5 billion spent on the Port Harcourt refinery’s maintenance

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