• NNPC hires Honeywell UOP for Port Harcourt refinery audit
• Restart suspended after $1.5B rehab; sale plan abandoned July
• Nigeria seeks investor model to cut $9.6B fuel imports

Nigeria's state oil company NNPC Ltd has commissioned a technical audit of the Port Harcourt refinery, Nigerian media reported on Monday, a move that comes after a planned sale of the facility was shelved in late July.

The audit, which is meant to determine the refinery's operational capabilities, was awarded to Honeywell UOP, a U.S.-based refining technology firm. The 210,000-barrel-per-day refinery had its restart announced for late 2024 following a $1.5 billion rehabilitation, but was suspended again in May 2025, similar to the Warri refinery.

NNPC said the evaluation is a key preliminary step toward attracting investors under a new partnership model that would combine financing and industrial expertise. The approach mirrors the ownership structure of Nigeria LNG, where multinational corporations are partnered with the state. The Honeywell UOP report will guide NNPC Ltd’s future decisions on the refinery.

The Port Harcourt facility is a crucial part of the country’s energy strategy, as Nigeria—Africa's top crude oil producer—hopes to cut its imports of petroleum products. According to local media citing the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria spent $9.64 billion on fuel imports in 2024, a 105% increase from the previous year.

Abdel-Latif Boureima