The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has confirmed routine maintenance at its Warri refinery section in Delta State since January 25, while denying reports of a fire outbreak.
This was stated in a release issued by he NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye.
Soneye said reports suggesting an explosion occurred at the refinery complex were false.
“NNPC Ltd. wishes to clarify that there was no explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC). Any reports suggesting otherwise are completely false.
“On January 25, 2025, operations at WRPC Area 1 were intentionally curtailed to carry out necessary intervention works on select equipment, including field instruments impacting sustainable and steady operations.
“These intervention works are essential to ensure the production of on-specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Kerosene (Kero).
“The routine maintenance is progressing as planned, and Area 1 will be back in operation within the next few days. Despite ongoing interventions, over the past 11 days, AGO loading has been maintained at an average of eight trucks per day, with a sufficient supply available to sustain ongoing truck load-out operations.”
SaharaReporters had recently reported that the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) was said to have resumed production in Delta State.
This was made known by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, during a tour of the facility in December 2024.
Addressing his team at the plant, Kyari had claimed that the refinery was up and functional.
“We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. It is not 100 percent. We are still in the process. Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real,” he had boasted.
The tour had also included the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, and other key stakeholders.
However, findings by SaharaReporters had revealed that the refinery was producing only Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) otherwise known as diesel and Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) presently, according to some of the workers.
“The Warri Refinery is far from turning out Premium Motor Spirit (otherwise known as petrol), which is the commodity that is most highly in demand, as only one of the three plants in the facility is working,” the staff had further revealed.
