Oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority have said the prices of refined petroleum products are to drop further following the commencement of operations at the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company Limited.
Dealers in the downstream oil sector said competition in the space would now be stiffer, as domestic refiners would be forced to reduce prices to get buyers.
They stated this on Monday following the announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited that the 125,000 barrels per day WRPC in Delta State had commenced operations.
NNPCL also announced plans to begin the export of locally refined products to foreign countries in exchange for foreign currency.
Oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority have said the prices of refined petroleum products are to drop further following the commencement of operations at the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company Limited.
Dealers in the downstream oil sector said competition in the space would now be stiffer, as domestic refiners would be forced to reduce prices to get buyers.
They stated this on Monday following the announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited that the 125,000 barrels per day WRPC in Delta State had commenced operations.
NNPCL also announced plans to begin the export of locally refined products to foreign countries in exchange for foreign currency.
The development comes barely a month after the commencement of operations at the 60,000 barrels per day-old Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State.
During an inspection tour of the facility on Monday, the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, explained that the inspection aimed to show Nigerians the level of work completed so far.
Kyari, addressing a tour team, which included the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, and the NNPC Board Chairman, Pius Akinyelure, noted that the repairs on the facility were not yet 100 per cent complete, but refining operations had commenced and would focus on producing straight-run kerosene, diesel, and naphtha.
The National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mustapha Zarma, said the competition in the downstream oil sector is now going to intensify.
This, he said, is going to force down refined petroleum products’ prices.
He said, “Certainly, there is going to be a further drop in prices once the facility starts pumping out products in large volumes. This is because there is going to be a lot of competition and the market will be driven by market forces at the end of the day.
“We want to commend the efforts of the government and NNPC for making sure that the Warri refinery has started operating, and we encourage them to make sure all three refineries operate. Port Harcourt refinery earlier started operations, now Warri has started and we expect Kaduna to follow.
“With this development, we believe that the market will be driven by a lot of competition. And that competition at the end of the day will bring succour to the common man as a result of the further drop in fuel prices.”
Also, the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Ahmed Farouk, speaking at the tour of the plant, said the new refinery wiould drive down the price of petroleum products in Nigeria.
He added that investors were building modular refineries which would benefit Nigerians.