After 20 Years Hiatus, Marketers Lift Fuel, Diesel From PH Refinery
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- Production Actually Started A Month Ago- Source
Although the coming back to life of the Area 5 Plant at the Port Harcourt Refinery was made public on Monday night, TNN has confirmed that the refinery actually started producing fuel, diesel and kerosene last month.
TNN learnt from inside sources on Tuesday that as at noon on Tuesday, an unconfirmed number of trucks had loaded PMS(fuel) and AGO(diesel) from the depot. The source was not sure if KPK(kerosene) was also being lifted as at press time.
It was gathered that work was seriously going on at the Area 1 plant, which is the second refinery. Our source said with the way work was going on there, there was a possibility that products would come out of that plant during or about the second quarter of next year.
“The way they are pushing out to work at the Area 1 plant is unprecedented. We are working tirelessly to get the plant to come on stream and being production early next year. The way things are going, that plant may start producing sometime next year, around June latest, the source said.
He said trucks started lining up at the depot early on Tuesday to load products.” As I am talking to you this afternoon, trucks are loading products. They started loading early this morning. The refinery actually started producing about a month ago.
“But the products were stored in a tank because work was still in progress.” Apart from the Area 1 plant that is still under rehabilitation, the source hinted that there were indications that a new modular refinery that would produce only aviation fuel was being considered, also within the refinery complex.
A presidential spokesperson, Sunday Dare, had said in his official X handle early on Tuesday that “200 trucks are expected to load products daily from the refinery, renewing the hopes of Nigeria.”
He added that “the Port Harcourt refinery has two wings. The Old Refinery comes on stream today with an installed production capacity of 60, 000 barrels per day of crude oil.”
The refinery was shut down for nearly two decades, specifically from 2002 to 2020, due to a combination of factors, including lack of maintenance, technical issues, and funding constraints.
TNN tried to speak with an official of the corporate communications department at the refinery, Mr Gerry Ohaji on Tuesday, but twice, his phone rang out without a response.
