The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has debunked the claim that the old Port Harcourt Refinery has shut down operations.

Reports making the rounds claimed that the refinery remains in a non-functional state months after it was rehabilitated.

But the spokesperson of the NNPCL, Femi Soneye, described the reports as “totally false.”

“The attention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has been drawn to reports in a section of the media alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery which was re-streamed two months ago has been shut down.

“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false as the refinery is fully operational as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC,” Soneye said in a statement on Saturday, December 21, 2024.

The spokesperson stressed that preparation for the day's loading of petroleum products from the refinery's gantry is currently ongoing.

“Members of the public are advised to discountenance such reports as they are the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip-off Nigerians,” he said.

Port Harcourt Refinery commences operations

Recall that the state-owned refinery commenced crude oil processing as well as loading of petroleum products on November 26, 2024.

Operating at a 70% installed capacity, NNPCL said the plant had started producing 900,000 litres of kerosene per day and 1.5 million litres per day of diesel.

The national oil company added that 2.1 million litres daily volume of low-pour fuel oil (LPFO) would also be produced at the refinery, including additional volumes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) would be refined at the plant.