The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has announced a major breakthrough in the operation of the Old Port Harcourt Refinery, as it now runs at 70% capacity.
According to a statement released by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., the refinery is currently producing substantial quantities of various petroleum products on a daily basis. These include:
– Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha): Blended into 1.4 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol)
– Kerosene: 900,000 liters
– Automotive Gas Oil (AGO or diesel): 1.5 million liters
– Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO): 2.1 million liters
– Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG): Additional volumes
To ensure that the gasoline produced meets the required specifications, the refinery blends Straight-Run Gasoline with crack C5, a component sourced from Indorama Petrochemicals. NNPC noted that this blending process aligns with global industry standards, as no single refinery unit can independently produce gasoline that fully complies with any country’s standards without additional processing.
Furthermore, NNPC revealed that efforts are underway to boost the refinery’s capacity from the current 70% to 90%. Simultaneously, significant progress has been made on the new Port Harcourt Refinery, which is expected to commence operations in the near future.
Addressing recent claims by certain individuals alleging that the refinery is not operational, NNPC firmly dismissed such statements as “unfounded.” The company stressed the importance of focusing on the achievements made under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has made the revitalization of the nation’s energy sector a top priority.
NNPC called upon Nigerians to support the ongoing efforts to transform the country’s energy landscape and cautioned against undermining the progress made with baseless criticism.