The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has announced that petrol from the Port Harcourt refinery will sell for N1,030 per litre. This price confirmation follows claims by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that the refinery is fully operational.
Joseph Obele, the PETROAN spokesperson, disclosed on Thursday night that the NNPCL had informed the association of the price for premium motor spirit (PMS) at the newly revamped refinery.
He stated, “NNPC Retail Ltd has officially announced the PMS price at the Port Harcourt refinery as N1,030 per litre. It was also communicated to PETROAN that the product request portal was open for booking/request.”
Despite this development, PETROAN is urging the NNPCL to consider reducing the price further to make the holiday season more affordable for Nigerians. Obele also emphasized that the association’s pricing team is evaluating the best possible rates for its members.
The Port Harcourt refinery, located in Eleme, Rivers State, is reportedly running at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to scale up production to 90%. Obele reassured Nigerians that the refinery is operational and not just a blending facility, as some critics have suggested. He invited skeptics to verify the plant’s status through facility tours authorized by the NNPCL.
He said: “On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, the top management of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited led by Mele Kyari took stakeholders and journalists to the plant with a view of having first-hand information and to see things themselves. The old Port Harcourt refinery is currently operating at 70 per cent of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90 per cent.“
Further confirmation of the refinery’s activity came from the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources, which recently visited the site. According to Obele, the committee, led by Senator Kawu Sumaila, observed functional operations and ongoing loading of petroleum products at the refinery depot.
PETROAN representatives, including National President Dr. Billy Hary, were present to welcome the delegation and express readiness to support loading activities at the facility.
Obele also highlighted the poor state of the Eleme East-West road, which poses risks to petroleum transport. He called on the Federal Ministry of Works to expedite the road’s repair to ensure the safe movement of flammable products.
While the older Port Harcourt refinery with a 60,000-barrel-per-day capacity is operational, the new refinery with a 200,000-barrel-per-day capacity remains under rehabilitation. PETROAN supports the planned privatization of the nation’s refineries, urging a transparent process to attract capable investors for long-term efficiency.
“As part of PETROAN’s oversight function as key stakeholders, we have direct access to the plant on the authorisation of management and we will encourage whoever is doubting the functional status of the plant to contact NNPC management for facility tour rather than spreading misleading information.
“It is more important to state here that the functional plant in operation is the old refinery with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, while the new port Harcourt refinery with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day is still under rehabilitation which is due to commence production soon as announced by the management of NNPCL. Both Refineries are within the same complex at Alesa Eleme in Rivers State,” he stated further.
