Port Harcourt Refinery will produce about 200 trucks of petroleum products daily — Kyari
By Jeffrey Agbo
Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, on Tuesday said the Port Harcourt Refinery would be producing about 200 trucks of petroleum products daily.
Kyari stated this while marking the plant’s first products lifting following its rehabilitation, describing the commencement of loadout activities as an achievement for Nigeria.
He added that it is a new era of energy independence and economic growth for the country.
In the bid to ease the distribution of the products, Kyari said the refinery’s access road was captured under the roads being renovated under the road tax credit scheme for improved infrastructure and smooth products delivery.
The plant, run by the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), is currently operating at 70 per cent of its installed 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90 per cent.
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The refinery is producing the following daily outputs: Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha): Blended into 1.4 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol), Kerosene: 900,000 litres, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO or Diesel): 1.5 million litres.
Others are Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO): 2.1 million litres and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), additional volumes.
As of Tuesday, trucks began loading petroleum products which include PMS, AGO and Kerosene, while other products are slated to be dispatched as well.
Meanwhile, some petroleum marketers who witnessed the first loading of products from the Port Harcourt Refinery, lauded the NNPC for achieving the milestone after many years of being moribund.
Dr Joseph Obele, the National Public Relations Officer (PRO), Petroleum Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), expressed optimism that with the coming on stream of the refinery, fuel price would be reviewed.
“Indeed, it is a dream come true, the plant is up and running. I commend the NNPC Ltd and the host community for realising this project. Marketers now have hope of loading products here,” he said.
High Chief Sunny Nkpe, a community leader and Managing Director Wesham Oil Ltd, said the development would further contribute to economic development and energy sustainability of the country.
He called for the crude oil processing from the plant to be sustained for Nigerians to feel the impact.