Shell Resumes Oil Delivery to Port Harcourt Refinery With 475,000 Barrels of Crude Oil

The Port Harcourt Refinery, one of Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries, has endured extensive neglect and deterioration over the years. Initiated in 2019, its rehabilitation aimed at reinstating its capacity to process 210,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

On January 18, a total of 475,000 barrels of oil reached the Port Harcourt refinery, as confirmed by Osita Nnajiofor, Shell’s Bonny oil terminal manager, in an emailed statement to Reuters. The delivery, completed by the Bonny Oil & Gas Terminal (BOGT), operated by Shell, holds significance for the nation’s economy, with plans to enhance domestic fuel production and diminish reliance on imports.

According to Nnajiofor, future supplies from the Bonny oil and gas terminal will be contingent upon product demand. Shell’s spokesman, Bamidele Odugbesan, also informed Reuters via phone that the oil deliveries to the refinery occurred within the current week.

This development underscores a potential game-changer for Nigeria’s economic landscape, aligning with efforts to revitalize the country’s refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported fuel products. Notably, Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC Ltd recently solicited operators for the Port Harcourt refinery, situated in the oil-rich Rivers state.

With plans outlined by NNPC to conduct test runs at the refinery by the end of January, significant progress is anticipated toward resuming operations, marking a pivotal step five years after the plant ceased operations. Port Harcourt is among the four state-owned refineries that have remained inactive for years, but the government is actively working to revive them, aiming to curtail the nation’s reliance on fuel imports.