Fire outbreak recorded at Warri refinery, says NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) says a minor fire incident was contained at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited.

In a statement by NNPC on Friday, the management said the incident occurred today, at the refinery’s cooling tower.

NNPC said the fire outbreak was caused by the ongoing welding activity at the top of the cooling tower.

However, the company clarified that the incident would not affect the refinery rehabilitation project delivery schedule.

“This afternoon, at about 15:02hrs, there was a minor fire incident at the cooling tower of Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC),” the statement reads. 

“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.” 

According to the statement, NNPC Limited safety officers at the refinery acted immediately and put out the fire “at about 15:30hrs”. 

NNPC said normalcy has since been restored.

The company said it will continue to adhere to the best safety standards in all its business operations. 

Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources (oil), had said the Warri refinery will commence operations by the end of the first quarter of 2024. 

He said the Port Harcourt refinery will come on board by the end of the year while the Kaduna refinery will begin operation towards the end of next year.