The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has come under heavy scrutiny following allegations that it misled the public about the true operational status of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
Despite claims from the NNPCL on Tuesday that the refinery had begun processing crude oil and delivering petroleum products, sources within the refinery have disclosed that the facility is far from operational.
Top insiders at the refinery told SaharaReporters that rather than processing crude oil into Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), the refinery has instead been blending “Cracked C5 petroleum resins” with other products, including Naphtha, to create a mixture that is then sold to the public.
These sources categorically denied that the refinery was producing PMS or any significant quantities of petroleum products.
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“The plant is running, but it is the old one with a 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity. However, it cannot produce PMS as claimed by NNPCL. The section capable of producing PMS is yet to begin operations,” a refinery source explained.
Further details revealed that the refinery had purchased Cracked C5 from Indorama Petrochemicals, a local company, which was then blended with Naphtha to simulate refined fuel. Cracked C5, described as modified petroleum resins, is not a product of crude oil refining but a synthetic compound used in industrial applications.
NNPCL’s statement, backed by video footage showing trucks branded with the company’s logo, had initially suggested that crude oil processing at the Port Harcourt Refinery had commenced, with products like PMS, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and Household Kerosene (HHK) being dispatched. However, sources within the refinery cast doubt on this, stating that the refinery’s operational capacity was limited to producing only diesel.
“The NNPCL has been selling this mixture as though it was refined fuel, but the truth is the refinery is not producing PMS as they claim,” another source said. “They are simply blending imported chemicals and passing it off as locally produced fuel.”
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The Port Harcourt Refinery, built in 1965 with an original capacity of 60,000 bpd, has long struggled with operational inefficiencies. A new refinery, built in 1989 and with a capacity of 150,000 bpd, is still not ready for full-scale operations, with some experts predicting that it may not be functional until 2026.
In light of these revelations, King Kyari, the Group CEO of NNPCL, has faced criticism for the ongoing delays and misleading public statements about the refinery’s readiness.
Critics argue that despite the government’s promises, the impact on the nation’s fuel supply has been minimal, with many Nigerians seeing little improvement in the availability or pricing of petroleum products.
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