Port-Harcourt Refinery Shuts Down Momentarily, Only 'Crude Distillation Unit' Running And Cannot Produce PMS

The Port-Harcourt refinery of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has shut down operation "at the moment" with only its non-petroleum unit running which is the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), SaharaReporters can report.

The CDU produces naphtha, kerosene and diesel but cannot produce the component which is needed for the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol, top sources at the refinery disclosed to SaharaReporters on Saturday.

SaharaReporters has been monitoring developments at the refinery since Tuesday when the NNPCL initially claimed the refinery was up and trucking out PMS to the Nigerian public.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that only the old section of the Port-Harcourt refinery was working and it was blending "Crack C5 with the Naphtha" and trucking it out as Premium Motor Spirit, which some staff warned would have an "effect" on vehicles.

The top sources had clarified to SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the NNPCL came up with the idea of blending Crack C5 with the Naphtha from the primary units because the secondary units are not ready yet.

The sources had said that though blending is a standard practice and that PMS is a blend of products, “but the blended products are reformate. Gasoline is produced from the secondary units of the process plant. These secondary units are yet to be commissioned."

Giving an update to SaharaReporters on Saturday, a top official said only the CDU was running at the moment and could turn out only naphtha, kerosene and diesel.

"The Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) is still running but the operation of the depot is shut down at the moment. The CDU produces naphtha, diesel and Kerosene but cannot produce the component for the production of PMS," the source revealed.

"All these products cannot serve the masses as the production of these products are in small quantities even if the plant runs at 100% throughput. The processing plant of 150,000bpd capacity will commence operations in 2026; that is if money is made readily available to meet the timelines because at the moment the project has exceeded $2billion."

SaharaReporters on Tuesday reported that NNPCL confirmed its exclusive reports that only the old Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State is working and that the refinery is not trucking out PMS but blended gasoline.

The NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, in a statement had said that the old Port Harcourt Refinery is currently operating at 70% of its installed capacity, and that it produces Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha), blended into 1.4 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol daily.

Confirming SaharaReporters’ stories, Soneye in a statement on Tuesday evening, said, “The Board and Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) express heartfelt 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.

“This achievement marks a significant step forward after years of operational challenges and underperformance.

“We are, however, aware of unfounded claims by certain individuals suggesting that the refinery is not producing products.

“For clarity, the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is currently operating at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90%. 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.”

Soneye had added, “It is worth noting that the refinery incorporates crack 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."

P’Harcourt refinery halts operations, loading bay empty

The fanfare that greeted the resumption of activities at the Port Harcourt Refining Company on Tuesday may have melted away leaving the hope and expectations of many Nigerians hanging.

A visit by Saturday PUNCH to the refinery on Friday revealed that there was no activity on site, as some workers met by our correspondent claimed that the refinery was undergoing calibration which might last till next week.

The Port Harcourt Refinery has faced numerous delays and missed deadlines to resume operations.

Upon visiting the Port Harcourt Refinery Area 5, our correspondent observed no signs of activity.

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the loaded trucks contained “dead stock”.

Nkupu:
Propaganda doesn't build nor repair refinery.