PMS, Other Products From Port Harcourt Refinery To Hit Market Soon— Lokpobri

… Hails NNPCL For Availability Of PMS

The Minister for State Petroleum (Gas) Heineken Lokpobri has said that products from the Port Harcourt Refinery Company will soon hit the Nigerian market.

The minister also disclosed that the refinery is being test run.

Lokpobri made the disclosure during a briefing on developments on the Port Harcourt Refinery.

He said, “The mechanical aspect of the Port Harcourt refinery has been completed and they are still test-running. Yesterday, the MD of the refinery was here because I had to ask him what was going on.

“These were projects that are very fundamental to our survival economically, and I believe that very soon products will start coming from there. But there are several components in that gigantic structure that will take time mechanically to finalise for products to start coming.

“Recall that the Dangote refinery was commissioned by the Buhari administration, but they haven’t started releasing products because it takes time. So, I believe that the Port Harcourt refinery will soon come, and the Warri refinery is in top gear.”

He said that with the aggressive plans by the federal government to ramp up refining through reviving Port Harcourt and other moribund refineries, the market will soon be flooded with petroleum products.

He said, “If you ask me, in the next few months, we would have tremendously increased our refining capacity. I was reading a report that if we refine our products here, we will get 18 times more in terms of value addition.

“So I believe that very soon the Port Harcourt refinery and the other refineries will all come on stream. This is together with our programme on modular refineries where we are giving some people 5,000 barrels, 10,000 barrels, and 30,000 barrels.”

The minister also commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd for their efforts in ensuring adequate supply PMS.

“We commend the NNPC for being able to provide PMS, but the truth is that the rise in dollar is affecting every commodity in Nigeria, and PMS might not be an exemption any time soon. So, it is likely that we may see a hike in its price,” he added.