OIL marketers have started loading Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), and Kerosene from the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company.
Dealers confirmed this to this newspaper on Friday, as they demanded Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from the recently rehabilitated plant.
WRPC, under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, came on stream on December 30, 2024, after the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, announced its resumption of operations during a tour of the facility.
Speaking with one of our correspondents on Friday at the refinery, the Chairman of the Delta State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Harry Okenini, said though the plant was working, it was not at 100 per cent functionality.
He, however, pointed out that marketers had started lifting diesel and kerosene from the refinery.
“Right now, there is no production of petrol. So, we are not loading PMS. We hope to load PMS soon. We can confirm to you that the plant is working although not at 100 per cent. And IPMAN, Warri Depot Unit, is waiting for the production of PMS so that we can load.
“For now, only the Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, and Dual Purpose Kerosene are being produced and loaded out for consumption.
“Hopefully, by February, we are expecting cooking gas, PMS, and other products to come out. As of now, the retail unit is only loading AGO and DPK,” he added.
Also speaking with our correspondents at the refinery, the National Chairman of the Surface Tank and Kerosene Peddlers, a branch of NUPENG, Israel Omokere, stated that the refinery was in operation.
He said, “Hopefully the PMS will come on board. We are loading kerosene and AGO for now.”
On his part, the Delta State Chairman of Surface Tank and Kerosene Peddlers branch of NUPENG, Kingsley Erituoyo, said, “For so many years the refinery was down, today the refinery is up.
Findings at the Warri refinery by our correspondents showed scanty movement of trucks in and out of the complex.
This newspaper observed that skeletal activities were ongoing at the WRPC, compared with the heyday of the refinery when the company was working at full capacity.
Industry sources disclosed that there was more to be put in place by the Federal Government and the NNPCL for the refinery to commence full production of PMS.
During the visit to the WRPC complex, it was also observed that the main entrance to the refinery looked almost as if nothing was going on.
Security operatives at the gate stopped journalists from taking photographs on the premises.
Sources inside the refinery said only one of three units of the refinery was functional and producing diesel, gas, and kerosene.
“For now, only one unit is working at the refinery. You know there are three units; but only one is in operation, producing diesel, gas, and kerosene.
“The unit can’t give fuel for now. If the second unit starts working, it can produce PMS. It is the last unit to operate because it’s very big and complicated.
“If all units are working, we can load over 100 trucks daily, now it loaded about 50 trucks,” a source said.