The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has advised Nigerians to disregard reports discrediting the coming upstream of Port Harcourt Refinery.
The Chief Corporate Communications Officer (CCCO) of Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye, stated this in a statement on Wednesday.
Soneye accused some critics of misusing the technical terms blending and refining to spread misinformation and hinder progress.
Bellnews reported that NNPCL was accused by some critics of having allegedly bought Crack C5 from Indorama company in Port Harcourt and blended it with Naphtha to sell to the public as refined premium motor spirit (PMS), locally called petrol or fuel.
The Nigeria oil company had discredited the report. In a statement on Tuesday, NNPCL urged Nigerians to ignore the report. “We are, however, aware of unfounded claims by certain individuals suggesting that the refinery is not producing products.
“For clarity, the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is currently operating at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90%,” it read.
Further explaining the two terms, blending and refining, Soneye said PMS is not a single product but a blend of various refining outputs.
“Don’t be swayed by individuals misusing technical terms they don’t fully understand to spread misinformation or hinder progress. Blending and refining remain essential and sophisticated components of modern fuel production.PMS is not a single product; instead, it is a meticulously crafted blend of various refinery outputs and other middle distillates, designed to add value and meet consumer needs,” Soneye stated.