The refinery has released a total of 3,150 trucks of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel, over the past seven months. Data obtained from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) indicates that an average of 15 trucks of diesel have been evacuated daily from the facility during the shutdown period.
Clarifying the situation, the NMDPRA stated that the Port Harcourt refinery is not currently refining crude oil or producing new petroleum products. Instead, the diesel being supplied to marketers is drawn from a large volume of AGO that was refined and stored before the plant was shut down. This existing stockpile has continued to serve as a buffer for the domestic market amid ongoing maintenance work.
The regulator’s data further shows that about 349,000 litres of diesel are evacuated from the refinery each day, helping to stabilise supply in a market that has faced persistent price volatility and logistical challenges.
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The continued evacuation of fuel contrasts sharply with earlier assurances from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), which had announced in May 2025 that maintenance at the facility would last only one month. More than seven months later, the refinery remains closed to production, with no official restart date publicly confirmed.
The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s energy sector. The country experienced a major national grid collapse on December 29, 2025, when electricity generation fell dramatically from about 4,800 megawatts to just 139 megawatts. At the same time, reports suggest NNPC is considering selling stakes in some oil and gas assets to attract new investment and improve operational efficiency.
While the Port Harcourt refinery is not operational in the conventional sense, the report underscores its continued role as a distribution hub for pre-refined diesel, even as concerns persist over prolonged maintenance delays and refinery rehabilitation timelines.
