The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has refuted claims of an explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), stating that the facility is undergoing routine maintenance.
Key Clarifications from NNPCL
No Explosion: Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, dismissed reports of an explosion, urging the public to disregard such misinformation.
Routine Maintenance: The refinery’s Area 1 was intentionally curtailed on January 25, 2025, to conduct necessary intervention works on equipment, particularly field instruments affecting steady operations.
Operations Resume Soon: Maintenance is progressing as planned, and Area 1 will be back in operation within a few days. Despite interventions, the refinery has continued loading an average of eight trucks of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) per day.
Warri Refinery’s Recent Revival
Refurbishment Completion: The 125,000-barrel-per-day Warri refinery resumed operations on December 30, 2024, following years of inactivity.
Presidential Endorsement: President Bola Tinubu commended the refinery’s reactivation, calling it a major milestone in Nigeria’s quest to become a hub for downstream petroleum activities in Africa.
Strategic Impact: The refinery restarted at 60% capacity, contributing to local fuel production and reducing reliance on imports.
Challenges & Future Outlook
Feedstock Shortages: Nigeria’s growing refining capacity, including the 650,000-bpd Dangote Refinery, faces challenges in sourcing enough domestic crude.
Regulatory Measures: The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has warned oil producers that failure to meet local supply obligations may lead to export license revocation.
As Nigeria strengthens its refining sector, ensuring a steady crude supply to domestic refineries will be critical to sustaining this progress.
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