…Details emerge
Barely three days after the resumption of activities at the Port Harcourt Refining Company, the refinery has abruptly shut down operations just days after a grand re-opening.
It was gathered that as of Friday, there was no activity on the site, with some workers claiming that the refinery was undergoing calibration, which might last till next week.
A recent visit revealed an empty loading bay with no activities taking place, as workers indicated that the refinery was undergoing calibration expected to continue until next week.
Despite Tuesday’s inauguration of a new plant by the Group CEO of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, claiming that 200 petrol trucks were loading daily from the plant, the announcement was met with scepticism, as reports circulated that the trucks were loaded with old products in the storage tanks. According to the report, rather than more trucks coming into the refinery, the number of trucks has dwindled. It was also observed that most workers and drivers appeared idle, with no machinery operational.
The reports also suggest that the trucks being loaded were filled with old products, referred to as “dead stock,” from previous operations. An anonymous official confirmed that the stored refined petrol was ‘off-spec’ and not ready for commercial use, raising concerns about the refinery’s ability to deliver quality fuel.
The Port-Harcourt Refinery has faced numerous delays and missed deadlines to resume operations.
It was gathered that the Senate Committee on Petroleum visited the refinery on Thursday on a facility tour. However, the outcome of the visit had yet to be made public.
Calls and text messages to the spokesperson for the NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, were not replied as of the time of filing this report.
