The Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State, southern Nigeria, remains shut down but continues to supply an average of 349,000 litres of diesel daily to the market, according to official regulatory data.
Okay News reports that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) confirmed the facility, operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has seen no production since its shutdown on May 24, 2025.
The ongoing evacuation involves automotive gas oil (diesel) produced before the closure, with supplies drawn from existing stockpiles.
Initially planned as a one-month maintenance exercise, the shutdown has now stretched into its seventh month without resumption of refining activities.
The refinery, with an installed capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, was relaunched in November 2024 after extensive rehabilitation and initially operated at 70 per cent capacity.
At launch, NNPCL announced significant daily outputs, including 1.5 million litres of diesel, 1.4 million litres of petrol after blending, and other products expected to load around 200 trucks of fuel daily.
However, operations halted six months later, mirroring a similar brief reopening and quick shutdown of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company.
New NNPCL Group Chief Executive Bayo Ojulari revealed that pre-shutdown operations were incurring monthly losses of between $300 million and $500 million due to inefficient processing.
Ojulari explained that only less than 40 per cent of inputted crude was effectively refined, prompting the decision to pause activities for a sustainable turnaround.
Industry stakeholders, including the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association, have renewed calls for privatisation of Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries by early 2026 to enhance efficiency and reduce fiscal burdens.
