The Port Harcourt Refinery is once again under scrutiny as the facility remains out of production, months after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced that it had commenced the production and loading of petrol and diesel.
On November 26, 2024, NNPCL announced that the rehabilitated refinery had resumed operations, with the company stating that the facility had commenced the production and loading of petroleum products.
The announcement generated widespread optimism, coming amid heightened expectations that the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s long-dormant refineries would reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products and strengthen domestic fuel supply.
However, subsequent developments raised questions over the refinery’s actual operational status.
The facility was later shut down, with reports indicating that it was not producing refined petroleum products at the scale Nigerians had been led to expect from the November 2024 announcement.
Today, the Port Harcourt Refinery remains non-operational, reigniting concerns over the huge public resources committed to its rehabilitation and the prolonged failure to deliver sustained domestic refining.
The development has also revived the broader debate over Nigeria’s refinery rehabilitation programme, particularly the gap between official commissioning or production announcements and sustained commercial operations.
The Port Harcourt facility, comprising the old and new refineries in Alesa-Eleme, Rivers State, has for years been positioned as a critical component of Nigeria’s strategy to end its reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
Yet, despite repeated assurances of rehabilitation and restart, the refinery’s inability to maintain production has continued to frustrate expectations.
The latest situation raises a fundamental question: when will the Port Harcourt Refinery actually begin sustained production of petrol and diesel for Nigerians?
