The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has disclosed that the Port Harcourt Refinery will start its operations in July 2024.

According to marketers, the rehabilitation of the 210,000 barrels per day facility has been completed.

The National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Ukadike Chinedu has revealed the progress made on the PH refinery.

According to him, when the refinery starts operating, the price of petroleum products will reduce drastically, and there would be enough petrol supply.

He said: “Yes, when we visited the place, the MD told us that the refinery was almost ready and that they would start producing by the end of July. It has been turned into a new one.

"They changed all the armoured cables to brand new ones, and everything there is almost like a brand-new refinery.

“The turnaround on maintenance is very massive and the job is being done day and night. All hands are on deck to make sure that they meet that target. By ending of July the refinery should be ready.”

Femi Soneye, a spokesman for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, added that mechanical work on the refinery has been done and is only waiting for regulatory approval to begin operating.

He added that all pipes were operating well, transporting crude oil supplied by Shell.

"Everything has been completed in terms of our work, and once we get those approvals, it will start operations,” he said.

BEB