- Photos and videos show that the vandals attempted to disrupt the efforts to resume production at the Port Harcourt Refinery
- Sources there were people at the refinery’s entrance to prevent work from being completed
- The NNPC Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, had said that the refinery will commence production in August
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
Serious efforts were made to prevent the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited from resuming production at the Port Harcourt Refinery.
Industry sources said on Wednesday, July 17, 20024, that the facility had been vandalised.
Protesters allegedly block PH refinery entrance
The source, who does not want to be named, said that people gathered at the refinery entrance to prevent completion of work.
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According to reports, videos and photos taken at the scene alleged that vandals were caught overnight cutting cables and stealing critical components of the refinery.
According to the source, vandalism is preventing workers at the refinery from restarting the facility, and people are blocking workers from continuing maintenance work at the plant.
NNPC assures of petrol production in August
There has been no official announcement from the NNPC regarding the incident, as the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, did not pick up calls.
Meanwhile, the NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, assured that the facility will commence production of refined petroleum products in August 2024, and the Kaduna and Warri refineries will commence operations by the end of this year.
The NNPC boss said the country will become a net exporter of petroleum products
He spoke in Abuja when he appeared before the National Assembly joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Finance during an emergency session on the state of the economy.
Dangote refinery to commence petrol production
The development comes as the Dangote refinery disclosed that it would commence petrol production in August following a slight delay.
Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, disclosed that the refinery will begin importing crude oil from other African countries.
He said the decision is due to inadequate feedstock from Nigeria's NNPC and other crude producers.
Oil marketers speak on petrol prices from Dangote refinery
Legit.ng earlier reported that oil marketers expect petrol to be released from the Dangote refinery, as they disclose that the facility’s management has not reached a pricing agreement with marketers on the product.
The refinery announced a new date for the supply of petrol, shelving the July date earlier announced.
Aliko Dangote, president and CEO of Dangote Industries Limited, revealed that the refinery was set to roll out its petrol in August 2024 after it resolved its crude oil supply issues with the help of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and the Nigerian government.
Source: Legit.ng