Marketers and retailers of petroleum products are set to commence lifting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, directly from the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) this week, barring any last-minute changes.
This development was disclosed by Joseph Obele, the Publicity Secretary of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), during an exclusive interview.
Since the PHRC resumed operations in November, its fuel supply has been limited to retail outlets owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Obele clarified that the petrol currently sold to marketers by NNPCL is still imported.
He also raised concerns about price disparities, noting that NNPCL was selling PMS to retailers in Port Harcourt at ₦970 per litre, compared to ₦899 per litre** in Lagos. He called for uniform pricing across all regions, especially as the refinery begins to serve independent marketers.
Call for Pricing Uniformity
“NNPC is selling at a rate higher in Port Harcourt compared to Lagos due to logistics, but with the refinery now producing locally, we request the same pricing. The disparity is too much,” Obele said.
He urged the NNPCL to ensure the refinery supplies fuel to retailers at competitive rates now that stock is being produced locally. “Since the refinery has resumed operations, there’s no need for the pricing gap caused by shipping logistics from Lagos,” he added.
Progress at the Port Harcourt Refinery
The PHRC, which resumed operations after multiple delays, is currently blending naptha to produce petrol. The refinery’s old section, with a 60,000 barrels-per-day capacity, is operational, while rehabilitation work on the newer 150,000 barrels-per-day section is nearing completion, according to NNPC’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.
PETROAN’s Position
Marketers in Port Harcourt and its environs are optimistic about the new supply channel but remain firm on the need for equal pricing. “Our members plead with NNPCL to sell fuel produced at the Port Harcourt refinery to us at the same rate it is sold to Lagos marketers,” Obele emphasized.
The expected transition to locally produced petrol is seen as a potential game-changer in stabilizing fuel supply and pricing, particularly in the South-South region.
