Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Limited has recorded a minor fire incident at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited.
Gatekeepers News reports the NNPCL in a statement said the incident occurred on Friday, at the refinery’s cooling tower.
The NNPCL management said the fire outbreak was caused by the ongoing welding activity at the top of the cooling tower.
However, it clarified that the incident would not affect the refinery rehabilitation project delivery schedule.
The statement read, “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 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.”
The NNPC Limited said safety officers at the refinery acted immediately and put out the fire “at about 15:30hrs”.
According to statement, normalcy has since been restored.
The company said it will continue to adhere to the best safety standards in all its business operations.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, had said the Warri refinery will commence operations by the end of the first quarter of 2024.
Lokpobiri 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.
