Why P’Harcourt refinery delays operations despite completing overhaul

Despite finishing its overhaul to generate petroleum products, the Port Harcourt refinery has not officially started operations "to avoid a situation where the refinery produces for a few months and shuts down for repairs again."

Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer, "wants to ensure that everything at the Port-Harcourt Refinery works at maximum capacity before commencing full operations," according to insiders from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

These disclosures were made during a press conference on Friday in Effurun, Delta State's Uvwie Local Government Area. Journalists from a range of print and online publications gathered to talk about urgent problems facing the oil and gas industry.

Solomon Oseagah, one of the media conveners, said that "the Port-Harcourt Refinery is already producing and will be commissioned before the end of the year.”
In response to questions about the Port-Harcourt Refinery delays, Oseagah made it clear that NNPCL is committed to making sure the refinery runs at full capacity prior to its public debut, not because of any technical unpreparedness.

"President Bola Tinubu will commission the facility, which is already in production and expected to be formally inaugurated by year-end, once the outstanding issues are resolved," he said.

He confirmed that the country's refineries are experiencing delays and that persistent issues with petroleum product availability are "being tackled head-on by the NNPCL."

"Every obstacle is carefully addressed to prevent a scenario in which the refinery operates for several months before stopping for maintenance once more," he reaffirmed.

He highlighted that media must perform exhaustive fact-checking and maintain objectivity when reporting on the corporation’s activities.
Oseagah reaffirmed NNPCL's stance in the ongoing disputes with Dangote Refinery, emphasising that the company's activities are "aimed at ensuring the proper functioning of the Nigerian petroleum industry for the benefit of all Nigerians."

"Market forces determine prices under the deregulated system," he insisted, adding that "NNPCL has no pricing authority over Dangote Refinery."

"NNPCL is committed to maintaining industry integrity and performance and has no issues whatsoever with Dangote Refinery," he stated. "However, since the market has been deregulated, NNPCL will not be the one to fix the prices for Dangote."
During the media session, Kyari was urged to “facilitate clearer communication by allowing representatives from other companies and agencies under the NNPCL umbrella to engage directly with the public through the media,” underscoring the need for increased transparency inside the organisation.

Participants pointed out that "the move would improve public understanding of the various roles and responsibilities within the petroleum sector, fostering accountability and collaboration among all stakeholders" by enabling representatives of other businesses operating under the NNPCL to interact directly with the media.