Fuel price set to crash as PETROAN asks NNPC to sell petrol from Port Harcourt Refinery at Lagos rates

The Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to supply petrol from the Port Harcourt refinery to marketers in Rivers State at the same rate offered to Lagos marketers.

Speaking to journalists, PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Prince Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, stressed the need for the NNPC to prioritize local marketers now that the refinery has resumed operations.

“Since you will be selling directly to us from the refinery, you now have the stock available. Sell to us at the same rate you are selling to Lagos marketers,” he stated.

He added, “Our request is that the NNPC should sell to us from the Port Harcourt refinery at the same rate they are selling the product to those in Lagos.”

When asked if the NNPC was still importing petrol to Lagos, the PETROAN spokesman confirmed, saying, “The stocks in Lagos are imported stocks.”

Port Harcourt Refinery Resumes Operations
The NNPC had announced in November that the old 60,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Port Harcourt refinery had resumed operations after several delays.

The company assured that rehabilitation works on the new section of the Port Harcourt refinery, which has a capacity of 150,000 bpd, were nearing completion.

According to NNPC spokesman Olufemi Soneye, the refinery is currently producing naphtha, which is being blended to produce petrol.