Sopuruchi Onwuka

After commissioning of the Port Harcourt refinery in a hurried race to capture shares in the domestic market space, the Nigerian National Petroleum company (NNPC) Limited is once again shutting down the plant for maintenance.

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Spokesman, Olufemi Soneye, declared in a media statement in Saturday that the refinery would go down for scheduled maintenance and sustainability assessment is expected to commence immediately.

“We are working closely with all relevant stakeholders, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to ensure the maintenance and assessment activities are carried out efficiently and transparently,” Femi stated.

He stated that the company remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering sustainable energy security for Nigeria.

The Oracle Today had earlier reported that the old Port Harcourt refinery which the NNPC activated at the start of domestic supply competition with Dangote Refinery has limited design capacity for fuel production.

The refinery which has no fluid catalytic cracking unit only produces distillates and naphtha which are primarily used to address other fuel and petrochemical needs in the local and regional markets. It was shut down when the newer sister refining plant operated by the same company could no longer churn out the premium motor spirit with which to blend naphtha from the old refinery into petrol.

With stiff competition starring him in the face, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, had quickly activated the plant as quick win measure in retaining presence in the local fuel supply space after decades of sleazy crude for product swap rackets became untenable under evolving local refining industry.

In running its supply race in the local market, the NNPC had to import large volumes of high octane gasoline for blending locally produced naphtha into acceptable grades of petrol for sale in the domestic market.

Statements from Dangote Refinery have constantly described petrol from the NNPC’s Port Harcourt Refinery as low quality.

The Oracle Today reports that each administration of the federal government since 1999 has given a shot at rehabilitating and reactivating the nation’s moribund refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.

With a new board of efficient industry professionals overseeing the company, signals are clear that a new cycle of maintenance has become inevitable. However, the old refinery might not do much under the prevailing circumstances until the new Port Harcourt Refinery which has an FCCU is reactivated to suck up its naphtha output for internal blending.