The President of the National Society of Chemical Engineers, Engr. Tony Ogbuigwe, has said that the Port Harcourt Refinery is currently running at 70 per cent capacity.
In an interview on Arise Television, Ogbuigwe dismissed the media report that the refinery is not refining products.
He said the old refinery, which is the Area 5 is functioning and operational.
Ogbuigwe said: “The truth of the matter is that the Area 5 of the Port Harcourt Refinery is running and it is indeed running. Port Harcourt Refinery has two parts, there is old refinery and the new refinery.
“The old refinery is the one that has been brought back into operation and it is running. We can confirm that it is running because we have made contact our professional chemical engineers colleagues who are on the ground and they have confirmed that the refinery is indeed running.
“Products are being produced from the old refinery and those products are being blended to give the PMS that we consume in our cars and diesel oil which we consume in trucks and some of us use in our generators.
“Those products are indeed being produced. Kerosene is also being produced and that is the truth.
“Some people have been making statements in the media about a product called krack C5 coming from Eleme Petrol chemical and that is what they have been loading but the reality the Area 5 otherwise called the old Port Harcourt Refinery is producing PMS, diesel and kerosene.
“Those products are blended with Krack C5, is being obtained from Eleme Petrol Chemical that is what is giving you your PMS.
“I’m surprised that people are saying that no loading has taking place, loading has actually taking place and trucks have been loaded. And those trucks have gone out to supply the public.
“As far as I know, the refinery is running at about 60 to 70 per cent and they probably ramping up towards 90 per cent capacity.”
