Port Harcourt Refinery Scales Down Operations for Upgrade

The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) has clarified that it has not completely ceased operations, but instead temporarily scaled down its activities to allow for significant upgrades at the facility.

The Executive Director of Operations at the Nigerian Pipeline and Storage Company Limited (NPSC), Moyi Maidunama, made this known during a guided tour of the refinery led by Managing Director Ibrahim Onoja.

Maidunama emphasized that while the refinery’s activities were reduced, the move was necessary to address technical issues and enhance the plant’s capacity to meet demand more efficiently.

“The operations were not halted. It was obviously reduced due to some improvements that we needed to make,” Maidunama stated.

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Despite the scale-back in operations, product distribution has continued, with the distribution of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), kerosene, and diesel ongoing, according to Terminal Manager Worlu Joel.

However, Joel expressed concerns over the low turnout of tanker drivers, which has slightly delayed the full evacuation of products.

“We have surplus products available and operational loading arms, but we’ve had to beg tanker drivers to come and evacuate products,” he said.

Joel also highlighted the refinery’s operational efficiency, with 11 functional loading bays, though only three are in use due to their high performance. “If you give us 100 trucks today, we can evacuate them in less than five hours,” he added.

Ibrahim Onoja, the Managing Director of PHRC, assured stakeholders that the facility had undergone a significant overhaul, including the replacement of critical equipment such as pumps, instrumentation, and cables.

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These efforts are part of a long-term strategy to enhance the refinery’s operational capacity.

“The plant is running, and we are trucking out our products. We’ve carried out a massive revamp, replacing most of the equipment, including pumps, instrumentation, and cables. What we’ve done here is a significant upgrade of the facility,” Onoja affirmed.