Port Harcourt Refinery to Begin Fuel Supply to Marketers This Week – PETROAN

The Port Harcourt Refinery is set to begin fuel supply to marketers this week, according to PETROAN. This marks a significant step toward stabilizing Nigeria’s fuel supply and distribution network.

This week, unless there are any last-minute adjustments, marketers and retailers of petroleum products are anticipated to begin transporting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol, from the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC).

Joseph Obele, the Publicity Secretary of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), revealed this information in an exclusive interview.

Obele stated that since the refinery restarted operations in November 2024, its main focus has been supplying fuel to retail outlets owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Although marketers still obtain fuel from NNPCL, they are currently buying imported products.

Obele expressed concerns regarding price differences, pointing out that the NNPCL charges retailers in Port Harcourt more for PMS than it does in Lagos. He called on the refinery to reduce the fuel price from ₦970 per litre to ₦899 per litre, emphasizing the financial burden this places on both retailers and consumers.

The anticipated start of fuel distribution from the Port Harcourt Refinery is expected to alleviate supply chain pressures and enhance market dynamics.

The NNPC is advising us to purchase at a price that differs from what they are currently offering in Lagos due to logistical reasons. This situation has made retail outlet owners in Port Harcourt uneasy. As a result, the Port Harcourt refinery will begin serving our needs this week.

He revealed, “We are asking for the NNPC to sell to us in Port Harcourt at the same rate they offer our members in Lagos. We find this disparity uncomfortable.”

When asked if marketers in Port Harcourt and surrounding areas have begun purchasing directly from the NNPC refinery, he responded, “No, but it is scheduled to start this week. Currently, the trucks being loaded are solely for NNPC retail outlets.”

In his request to the NNPC, Obele expressed, “We in Port Harcourt urge the NNPC to sell fuel to us at the same rate as they do for Lagos marketers. The price difference is significant; it’s N899 per liter in Lagos compared to N970 here in Port Harcourt.”

According to their explanation, it seems they’ll use their own vessel to deliver and ship the product directly to the Port Harcourt depot for our purchase. Therefore, we’re requesting that since you’ll be selling straight from the refinery to us and have stock available now, you should offer it at the same price you’re giving Lagos marketers.

“Currently, this is our situation: we ask that the NNPC sell to us from the Port Harcourt refinery at the same rate offered to those in Lagos.”

When questioned about whether the NNPC was still importing fuel into Lagos, the PETROAN spokesman confirmed this by stating, “The stocks in Lagos are imported supplies.”

Following several delays, the NNPC announced in November that operations had resumed at the old Port Harcourt refinery, which processes 60,000 barrels per day.

The NNPC assured that the rehabilitation of the new Port Harcourt refinery, which has a capacity of 150,000 barrels per day, would be completed soon.

According to NNPC spokesman Olufemi Soneye, the refinery is now producing naphtha, which it then blends to create petrol.