NIGERIA’S PORT HARCOURT REFINERY SHUTS DOWN FOR CRITICAL MAINTENANCE AFTER TUMULTUOUS YEAR
Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited has announced an operational halt at the Port Harcourt refinery for essential maintenance work, just one year after the facility’s dramatic restart following years of costly downtime.
The shutdown, which includes a comprehensive “sustainability assessment,” comes with no definitive timeline, raising concerns about Nigeria’s refined petroleum supply stability during the maintenance period.
NNPC emphasized its commitment to transparency, stating it is “working closely with all relevant stakeholders, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, to ensure the maintenance and assessment activities are carried out efficiently and transparently.”
The timing of the shutdown follows a “minor incident” acknowledged by NNPC on March 19, 2025, though the company maintained that the refinery continued producing specification-grade petroleum products despite the setback.
The facility’s recent operational history has been marked by significant challenges and substantial investment. The refinery underwent a major rehabilitation under a two-phase $1.5-billion project launched in 2019, with ambitious targets to increase utilization rates from 60 percent in phase one to 90 percent in the final phase.
As of November 2024, NNPC reported the refinery was operating at 70 percent capacity, with plans still in place to achieve the 90 percent utilization target.
The Rivers State facility boasts a total crude distillation capacity of 210,000 barrels per day across two plants, with the older facility dating back to 1965 and the newer plant constructed in 1989.
Adding to the complex’s future prospects, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board recently acquired a 20 percent stake in a new 100,000-barrel-per-day refinery project that will be co-located within the Port Harcourt refinery complex, with NNPC holding a 15 percent interest.
Source: rigzone.com