Recent Attack on Pipelines Propel Shutdown of Refineries

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, announced the shut down of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. The announcement came four days after the plants were closed.


The NNPC, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs  Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said the shutdown of the refineries was as a result of crude oil supply challenges arising from the recent attacks on vital crude pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta.

The NNPC, before the closure of the refineries, said in its statement that the Port Harcourt Refinery was recording a daily PMS yield of over 4.1 million litres, while Kaduna Refinery was posting a daily petrol production of about 1.3 million litres.

It explained that the plants were shut simultaneously on Sunday, after the Bonny-Okrika crude supply line to the Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Escravos-Warri crude supply line to the Kaduna Refinery, suffered breaches.

The NNPC, however, noted that the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, WRPC, is still on stream and producing a little above 1.4 million litres of petrol per day.

It also assured of stability in the supply of petrol across the country, as it has put in place measures to ensure an unhindered supply of the product.

The NNPC said: “In response to the unexpected setback, we have activated comprehensive remedial measures to sustain the prevailing stability in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.”

Suspected militants had last week blew up a gas pipeline in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State conveying gas from Escravos–Warri-Lagos-Abuja, in what is believed to be a resumption of fresh hostilities in the Niger Delta region. The vandalized pipeline was believed to be the property of the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC.

The following day, the bombings continued, as the militants allegedly blew up the Abiteye flow station and Sagara to Chevron pipelines.

This led the Federal Government to issue a directive to the military to fish out the perpetrators of the act.

Days later, Joint Task Force Commander of Operation Pulo Shield in the Niger Delta, Major General Alani Okunola, vowed that the perpetrators would be fished out.

According to him, the task force was closing in on those blowing up oil pipelines belonging to the Nigeria Gas Company, Chevron Nigeria Limited and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.