Experts, others reveal why Warri Refinery has remained shut

• Nigerians person berated the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) implicit the authorities of the Warri Refinery
• The refinery, which reportedly consumed $879.6 cardinal to repair, has been unopen since January 25, 2025, owed to information issues
• The continued shutdown of the refinery has raised doubts among manufacture players who uncertainty the effectiveness of the repair work

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported connected tech, energy, stocks, concern and the economy for implicit a decade.

Petroleum industry operators and experts person criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) regarding the purported overhaul of Nigerian refineries.

The improvement comes aft it emerged that the Warri Refinery has remained inoperable aft it unopen down for attraction connected January 25, 2025, owed to information issues successful its Crude Distillation Unit Main Heater.

NNPC comes nether occurrence for nonaccomplishment to reopen Warri Refinery aft it consumed $879.6 cardinal for repairs. Credit: Bloomberg/Contributor
Source: Getty Images

NMDPRA estimates Warri Refinery repairs astatine $879.6m

In April 2025, a papers by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that the Warri Refinery gulped $879.6 cardinal successful attraction costs and had failed to nutrient petrol and was unopen down little than 1 period aft the erstwhile NNPC GCEO, Mele Kyari, declared it functional.

Industry watchers person decried the development, describing it arsenic discouraging, arsenic further findings indicated that the Port Harcourt Refinery present operates beneath 40% of its capacity.

Legit.ng reported that the Warri Refinery restarted operation connected December 30, 2025, aft galore years of being moribund.

The installation has a yearly capableness of 13,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene and 18,000 metric tonnes of c black.

Warri Refinery unopen for maintenance

According to a Punch report, President Bola Tinubu praised the NNPC for completing the revamping of the Warri Refinery.

The refinery focused connected warehousing captious products specified arsenic straight-run kerosene, diesel, and dense and airy Naphtha.

The erstwhile NNPC brag had said galore Nigerians doubted the revamping of the facilities and invited salient Nigerians connected the facilities’ tour.

However, the NMDPRA papers provided elaborate accumulation statistic for each of the refineries successful Nigeria, revealing that the Warri works has remained closed since January this year.

The study cited faults successful the facility’s Crude Distillation Unit Main Heater arsenic the reason.

NMDPRA said:

“The Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company was unopen down connected 25th Jan. 2025 owed to information concerns implicit the CDU Main Heater,” the papers stated.

Port Harcourt Refinery produces little than capacity 

The bureau further disclosed that the Port Harcourt refinery operates astatine astir 37.87% of its installed capableness six months aft the revamp.

The Port Harcourt refinery’s monthly accumulation information indicated that it produced astir 82.55 cardinal litres of refined petroleum products from November 2024 to April 2025, 135.45 beneath its accumulation of 218 cardinal litres monthly.

The NMDPRA papers contradicts NNPC claims issued by its spokesman, Olufemi Soneye, that the Port Harcourt installation was operating astatine 70% capacity.

The Port Harcourt refinery produces PMS blending components specified arsenic straight-run petrol, straight-run naphtha and diesel.

It is equipped with a hydrocracker unit, producing high-value fuels specified arsenic aviation fuel, household kerosene, cooking gas, and naphtha.

NNPC said during the refinery’s commissioning that it would nutrient astir 1.4 cardinal litres of straight-run petrol regular blended into PMS, 900,000 litres of Kerosene, 1.5 cardinal litres of diesel, and 2.1 cardinal litres of Low Pour Fuel Oil, and further volumes of cooking gas.

The Port Harcourt refinery gulped $1.5 cardinal to rehabilitate, which was funded by planetary fiscal institutions, and was estimated to reconstruct it to afloat operational presumption aft remaining dormant for respective years and suffering 7 postponements.

PETROAN celebrates 180 days of the PH refinery’s operation

Legit.ng reported that the Petroleum Products Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) celebrated the 180-day uninterrupted production of the facility.

PETROAN disclosed successful a connection signed by Joseph Obele, its nationalist publicity secretary, that the refinery had been dormant for implicit 2 decades.

Obele said that PETROAN members loaded diesel and Kerosene from the facility, portion NNPC marketers loaded PMS.

Marketers observe 180 days of uninterrupted accumulation astatine Port Harcourt Refinery. Credit: NNPC
Source: Twitter

According to the PETROAN spokesman, the refinery was commissioned successful October past twelvemonth and ran for 180 days non-stop until March 2025, a singular feat showing the effectiveness of the repair work.

Dangote Refinery reacts to shutting down petrol processing unit

Legit.ng earlier reported that reports made the rounds implicit the play that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Lekki, had shut down its petrol processing portion for maintenance.

The study claimed that the portion had to acquisition immoderate repairs and would beryllium unopen down till the workout was completed.

It added that this included the residue fluid catalytic cracker, a halfway portion of the gasoline-making portion astatine the refinery.

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Source: Legit.ng