The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had to shut down the Port Harcourt Refining Company to save its face.
IPMAN said the facility’s shutdown is insignificant to the Nigerian petrol market, stressing that the plant did not produce petrol for about three months before its eventual shutdown.
This is even as the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria argued that the facility will be of no value without the Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) blending unit, adding that 30 days will not be enough to complete the repair exercise.
In an interview with our correspondent, IPMAN’s Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, argued that the refinery had not produced any fuel in the past few months, wondering why the NNPC was just announcing a shutdown now. NNPC announced the shutdown of the plant on Saturday.
In a statement, it confirmed an earlier report that the facility would be shut down for a month for maintenance. According to the NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, the shutdown commenced on Saturday, May 24.
“NNPC Ltd wishes to inform the general public that the Port Harcourt Refining Company will undergo a planned maintenance shutdown. This scheduled maintenance and sustainability assessment will commence on May 24, 2025,” he said.
