By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has dismissed reports of an explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), clarifying that operations at the facility were deliberately curtailed for maintenance.
In a statement issued on Friday, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, described the claims of an explosion as “completely false.”
“NNPC Ltd. wishes to clarify that there was no explosion at the Warri Refinery. Any reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate,” Soneye stated.
He explained that on January 25, 2025, operations at WRPC’s Area 1 were deliberately scaled down to facilitate essential maintenance on specific equipment, including field instruments affecting steady production.
“These intervention works are necessary to ensure the continued production of on-specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Kerosene (Kero). Routine maintenance is progressing as planned, and Area 1 will resume operations within the next few days,” he added.
Despite the temporary curtailment, the refinery has maintained an average daily truck loading rate of eight trucks of diesel and kerosene over the past 11 days, ensuring a stable supply.
Soneye reaffirmed NNPC’s commitment to uninterrupted product distribution and urged stakeholders to remain patient as the company completes the maintenance activities.
