The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has restricted the purchase of petrol from the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC) to its retail outlets, the oil giant announced on Wednesday.
This means that petroleum products from the refinery, including petrol, diesel, and kerosene, are exclusively for NNPCL-operated retail outlets.
The refinery, located in Eleme, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, resumed production of products on Tuesday, with an assurance to roll out at least 200 trucks daily. However, the NNPCL said it has not yet commenced bulk sales of its products and has not opened its purchase portal.
According to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, the refinery’s products are currently being sold to the company’s retail stores. “Our prices are regularly reviewed and adjusted as required,” Soneye added.
The clarification came on a day the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) said petrol from the refinery was expensive. According to PETROAN, petrol being sold at the newly opened refinery is N75 per litre more expensive than that of Dangote Refinery.
The Public Relations Officer of PETROAN, Dr Joseph Obele, stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) supplies petrol to marketers at N1,045 per litre, while Dangote Refinery sells the same product at N970 per litre. “While Dangote Refinery sells petrol to marketers at N970 per litre, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) supplies the same product at N1,045, creating a N75 per litre difference,” Obele said.