Efforts to boost local supply of petroleum products may suffer setback as the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC) has been temporarily shut down.
Ships and Ports reports that Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) explained on Sunday that the pipelines supplying crude oil to the Warri refinery was compromised by some hoodlums.
Ohi Alegbe, group general manager, group public affairs division of the NNPC, however maintained that the Warri refinery would commence operations soon.
“Warri refinery is temporarily shut down and will resume in the new week. This is because the level of supply of crude there is very low. The refinery is supposed to be supplied crude endlessly and it should have at least 25 days sufficiency. If you supply crude in batches because the pipelines have been compromised, then your feed stock will not be regular.
“Therefore until it reaches that supply level where there at least 25 days sufficiency, the best bet is to shut down temporarily, otherwise it may damage the equipment. We supply crude by vessels because most of the pipelines have been compromised.”
The Warri refinery resumed operation barely a month ago. It was inaugurated in 1978 with installation capacity to process 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day but was later upgraded to process 125,000 barrels per day in 1987.
Ships and Ports reports that Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) explained on Sunday that the pipelines supplying crude oil to the Warri refinery was compromised by some hoodlums.
Ohi Alegbe, group general manager, group public affairs division of the NNPC, however maintained that the Warri refinery would commence operations soon.
“Warri refinery is temporarily shut down and will resume in the new week. This is because the level of supply of crude there is very low. The refinery is supposed to be supplied crude endlessly and it should have at least 25 days sufficiency. If you supply crude in batches because the pipelines have been compromised, then your feed stock will not be regular.
“Therefore until it reaches that supply level where there at least 25 days sufficiency, the best bet is to shut down temporarily, otherwise it may damage the equipment. We supply crude by vessels because most of the pipelines have been compromised.”
The Warri refinery resumed operation barely a month ago. It was inaugurated in 1978 with installation capacity to process 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day but was later upgraded to process 125,000 barrels per day in 1987.
