Port Harcourt Refinery: Blending Key to meeting product standards, Says Mele Kyari

The blending procedure purportedly connected to the Old Port Harcourt Refinery has been directly supported by Mr. Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), who claims that it is essential to bring petroleum products up to national standards.

Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., made this revelation in a statement on Wednesday.

NNPC Ltd. also denied allegations to the contrary, stating that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is operational and loading operations are underway.
This confirmation and explanation were provided by Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Mele Kyari during the commissioning of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Towers in Lagos on Wednesday.

Blending is not a crime.
“Blending is not a crime, as it is an integral part of the refining process,” Kyari said.

He emphasized that mixing is required to ensure that the product is safe for automobiles and to satisfy national regulations.

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“You will produce off-spec items that will harm your cars if you don’t blend. Because what is on specification in the United States of America might not be in Nigeria or other places, every refinery blends. In order to meet the requirements of various nations or areas, items must be blended,” he continued.

Kyari took advantage of the opportunity to invite Mr. Femi Falana, a lawyer and human rights activist, “and all those in doubt,” to accompany NNPC Ltd. on a tour of the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna in order to confirm their status.
He said that the President’s executive order interventions in the oil and gas sector are paying off, attracting more foreign investment and creating more job opportunities in the sector.
In addition, Kyari complimented NUPENG on the successful completion of its Towers and stated that the union should keep putting communication and collaboration first in its dealings with the Federal Government and NNPC Ltd.

Things you should be aware of
NNPCL defended the Old Port Harcourt Refinery’s outputs last Tuesday, arguing that blending is a common procedure around the world.

In a statement signed by Chief Corporate Communications Officer Olufemi Soneye, NNPCL responded on Tuesday to a report that said the refinery bought “Cracked C5 petroleum resins” and mixed them with other products, such as naphtha, to sell to the Nigerian public as though it had processed them rather than processing crude oil.
The Old Port Harcourt Refinery is now running at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90%, according to Soneye. Claims made by “some individuals implying that the refinery is not producing products” are false, he continued.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was praised by President Bola Tinubu for successfully restarting the Port Harcourt refinery, which started loading petroleum products on November 26, 2024.
Additionally, Tinubu encouraged the company to accelerate the planned reactivation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries, as well as the second Port Harcourt plant.
Dangote Refinery and other pertinent oil and gas businesses have been debating the “blending” issue extensively.