Nnpc Re-opens Port-harcourt Refinery To End Fuel Scarcity

SAN FRANCISCO, March 07, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has re-opened the Port Harcourt refinery about six weeks after it was shut down as it seeks to end the fuel scarcity currently witnessed across the country.

THEWILL recalls that this would be the second time in less than six months that the Port Harcourt refinery was shut down and re-opened.

According to Mr. Victor Adeniran, Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment, the Warri and Kaduna refineries could not resume production at the moment because the pipeline network supplying crude oil to the two refineries had been sabotaged and were yet to be fixed.

Speaking during a tour of petrol stations in Abuja to assess the fuel crisis situation, he appealed to Nigerians to be patient, stating that NNPC had made special arrangement for intervention trucks, with a carrying capacity of 60,000 litres of petrol to supply the products.

“We want to appeal to Nigerians to bear with us,” he said.

“Part of what the NNPC has done was making sure the refineries are back on stream. The reasons the refineries are not working today is because the pipelines that are supposed to supply crude oil to them are not working. We are almost there.

“You can imagine if we have been able to put the Escravos – Warri pipeline into use, Warri refinery would have been up and running and part of this problem would have been alleviated.

“Port Harcourt is working because we have been able to fix the Bonny – Port Harcourt line.

“As I am talking to you, we are transporting crude oil from Bonny to Port Harcourt refinery. Kaduna cannot work because Warri also supplies Kaduna with product.”

He appealed to Nigerians to join in the fight against pipeline vandalism and oil theft, stating that the challenges currently witnessed in the supply of petrol across the country was due to the sabotage of the pipeline.

The NNPC also stated that it paid N85.96 billion into the Federation Account for the month of January 2016, despite recording a loss of N3.55 billion in the same month.

Story by David Oputah