The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has dismissed reports of an explosion at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) in Rivers State, clarifying that the incident involved a controlled flare, which has since been fully contained.
In a statement issued by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC, the company emphasized that there was no explosion at the facility.
The flare incident, a routine safety measure in refinery operations, posed no danger to staff, nearby communities, or the environment, the spokesperson added.
Soneye further urged the media and the public to disregard any reports suggesting an explosion at the refinery, describing such claims as “entirely false.”
“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has refuted reports of an explosion at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) in Rivers State. The company clarified that what occurred was a flare incident, which has since been fully contained.
“There is no danger or health hazard to staff, the surrounding communities, or the environment,” the statement read in part.
The company reassured stakeholders of its commitment to maintaining safe and efficient operations at its facilities across the country.
The Port Harcourt Refinery, one of Nigeria’s key refining assets, has been undergoing rehabilitation efforts to restore its full operational capacity.
The clarification comes amid heightened public concern over refinery safety following recent incidents in the oil and gas sector.
One such incident was the explosion of the Trans-Niger pipeline which is operated by Renaissance Group.
The TNP, a critical asset in Nigeria’s oil industry with the capacity to move up to 450,000 barrels of oil per day from onshore fields in the area to the Bonny Export Terminal, was vandalised just yesterday, with two suspects in police custody.
The second incident, occurring just hours from the first, was a second explosion, which rocked another facility in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, also in Rivers State.
With two attacks in less than two days, fears are mounting that this could mark the beginning of a larger wave of disruptions in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
