The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) has reportedly ceased crude oil processing, barely three days after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd announced the resumption of activities at the refinery.
A visit to the refinery on Friday, November 29, revealed an eerily inactive facility, with no discernible signs of operation. Several workers at the refinery confided that the facility was undergoing a calibration process, which might persist till next week.
Earlier in the week, the NNPC had claimed that trucks had commenced loading petroleum products, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel, and Household Kerosene (HHK) or kerosene, from the refinery. However, an anonymous refinery official disclosed that the loaded trucks on Tuesday, November 26, actually contained “dead stock.”
The official elaborated, “Before the refinery was shut down between 2015/2016, we had dead stock left in the tank, including some Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) DPK (kerosene), and Automated Gas Oil (diesel)… So, these products were in large quantities in stores in those tanks.”
The official noted that the large quantity of refined petrol was “off-spec,” requiring separation from water to obtain the main product in preferred colors. The Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Femi Soneye, had earlier claimed that the refinery was operating at 60 percent capacity, processing a substantial 60,000 barrels per day.
