Checkout Magazine has learnt that activities at the Port Harcourt Refining Company have come to a halt, leaving the hope and expectations of many Nigerians hanging.
A visit by Saturday PUNCH to the refinery on Friday revealed that there was no activity on site, as some workers met by the correspondent claimed that the refinery was undergoing calibration which might last till next week.
The Port Harcourt Refinery has faced numerous delays and missed deadlines to resume operations.
However, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Melee Kyari, inaugurated the new plant at the Area 5 terminal of the refinery on Tuesday. It was claimed that 200 petrol trucks were loading daily from the plant.
The announcement was met with skepticism as reports circulated that the trucks were loaded with old products in the storage tanks.
Upon visiting the Port Harcourt Refinery Area 5, the correspondent observed no signs of activity.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the loaded trucks contained “dead stock”.
He said, “Before the refinery was shut down between 2015/2016, we had dead stock left in the tank, including some Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) DPK (kerosene), and Automated Gas Oil (diesel).
“So, these products were in large quantities in stores in those tanks. During the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, Old Area 5, those products were evacuated from the tanks for storage.”
However, he noted that the large quantity of refined petrol was “off-spec,” requiring separation from water to obtain the main product in preferred colours.
“But for DPK, it is in large quantity but they have not pushed it from the tank where it was kept after refined ready for commercial purposes.
“So, the product that was loaded was dead stock, that is the old product that was in the system. So, after these dead stocks, they will have to clean the tank, remove all the debris before pumping the new project into that tank, and redye it,” the source said.
