Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The NNPC Limited has announced that the recently re-streamed Warri Refinery has been shut down for routine maintenance and is expected to resume operations soon.
This was contained in a statement on Saturday by the Chief Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye who clarified that there was no explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), describing any report suggesting otherwise as “completely false.”
Soneye explained that operations at WRPC Area 1 were intentionally curtailed on January 25, 2025, to carry out necessary intervention works on select equipment.
According to Soneye, “These intervention works are essential to ensure the production of on-specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Kerosene (Kero).”
He added that the routine maintenance is progressing as planned, and Area 1 will be back in operation within the next few days. Despite the ongoing interventions, AGO loading has been maintained at an average of eight trucks per day, with a sufficient supply available to sustain ongoing truck load-out operations.
NNPC Limited has assured stakeholders that it remains committed to ensuring uninterrupted product supply and appreciates the patience and cooperation of all stakeholders as it completes these essential maintenance activities.
The 125,000 barrels per day refinery was re-steamed just before the new year after over 10 years of inactivity, operating at 60 percent capacity. The rehabilitation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries was approved by the Federal Executive Council in August 2021 at a cost of $1.48 billion.
