In an October 20 statement signed by the management team, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said that a fire that occurred at the Warri refinery earlier today has been contained.
The statement which was put out on the company’s Twitter account read:
- “This afternoon, at about 15:02 hrs, there was a minor fire incident at the cooling tower of Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC).
- “The fire which occurred as a result of ongoing welding activity at the top of the cooling tower will not affect the refinery rehabilitation project delivery schedule.
- “NNPC Limited safety officers at the Refinery acted immediately and put out the fire at about 15:30hrs; normalcy has since been restored. NNPC Limited will continue to adhere to the best safety standards in all its business operations.”
Recall that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri and Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, had assured that the Warri refinery which is currently undergoing rehabilitation alongside the other local refineries, will be ready for business by the first quarter of 2024.