Warri refinery to shut down
By Sola Adebayo, Warri
Published: Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Indications emerged on Tuesday that the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company may be shut down due to lack of crude oil for its operations.

It was learnt that the stock of crude in the crude refining plant could only last for the next few days.

The pipeline servicing the plant with crude oil from the production platforms of the American oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, was blown up by suspected militants on Saturday, May 16.

The flow line, popularly known as Chanomi Creek pipeline, runs from the Abiteye fields of CNL in Escravos, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State to WRPC. The pipeline had been ruptured three times in the past three years.

The last repair of the pipeline gulped $57m.

Our correspondent learnt in WRPC on Tuesday that crude supply to the plant was cut off on Sunday, 24 hours after the militants launched premeditated attacks on the pipeline.

A source at WRPC said, “We have not received crude oil supplies since Sunday because of the damage to the Chanomi Creeks pipeline by suspected militants. The crude oil from the various fields of Chevron in Abiteye through the pipeline is the only source of crude supplies to the plant.

“Although we have crude in our tanks which we are using for our operation for now, what we have can only last for about one week. The management will have no other choice than to shut the plant down thereafter.”

Also, the Nigerian Gas Company has cut gas supplies to industrial users, especially in the northern part of the country. A few companies in the southern axis of the country may also suffer similar fate.

The NGC action was sequel to the destruction of the Escravos/Warri Gas Pipeline from the Escravos base of CNL to the Ekpan operational headquarters of the subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, the same day the Chanomi pipeline was blown up.

The NGC lost about 200million standard cubic feet of gas daily due to the incident.

Reliable sources in NGC told our correspondent on Tuesday that the Geregu Power Plant owned by the Power Holding Company in Kogi State, had been shut down due to lack of gas to operate it.

Meanwhile, tension persisted in the Niger Delta on Tuesday as the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, insisted that the ongoing military operation in Delta State would be carried out in other states of the region.

The Commander of JTF, Maj.-Gen. Sarkin-Yarkin Bello, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, said there was no limit to the scope and coverage of the military operation in the region.

He said the raid on the militant camps in Delta would come to an end on Wednesday (today), adding that all the militant camps in the creeks of the state would have been captured and taken over by the agency by Wednesday evening.

But he was quick to add that the JTF would not relax the grip on the coastal Gbaramatu communities in Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state.

He said the search for the 18 troops feared dead before and in the ongoing military operation would continue within and outside the state.

Bello gave the impression that the federal troops would proceed to other states in the region, especially Bayelsa, Ondo and River States in quick succession in desperation to rid the region of militancy and criminality.

He said, “We are almost through with the militant camps in Delta State. Possibly, the JTF would have wiped out all the militant camps in Delta State within the next 24 hours. By tomorrow (Wednesday), we would have uprooted all the militant camps in the creeks of Delta State.

“But we are not going to relax our operation in Gbaramatu and the entire region.”

Also, the JTF on Tuesday destroyed another militant camp allegedly operated by Tompolo in Gbaramatu axis of Delta State
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20090527219554

Nigeria is a failed state

denko:

Nigeria is a failed state

I second that - The same military said the campaign will over in days lastweek and now it is now today . This one is endless campaign.

They'd better do this once and for all!

No more militancy!!!

HHhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm
NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE

Was the refinery functional before and we have this prolonged fuel scarcity?

otokx:

Was the refinery functional before and we have this prolonged fuel scarcity?

My brother I tire.

Sell refinery, dem no gree. Oya operate it, they can't fit.

This JTF wicked sef O! See the name of their oga: Sarkin Yaki. It means king of war. MEND is in for it.

Ignore those yeye people.no refinery in nigeria is up to 5% functional.dem think say we blind.

Our refineries can only work to full capacity if the policies are made right. How can they function effectively if the CEO of a refinery has an approval limit? Approval for the purchase of common spare parts, on which the refineries depend on for day to day running must have to go to FEC. What a process!

hmmm, refinery still dey warfi since ?! (lol my first post !),

thank god for that. i hope the remaining follow. show me what is left. i pray everything comes to a standstill. lets see where we go from there. cannibalism will surely follow.

nice one

i guess the MEND will be happy about this new development.

But the fact remains that we are all in this together wether you like it or not

Nigeria is finished

otokx:

Was the refinery functional before and we have this prolonged fuel scarcity?

nigeria's case defies logic and common sense!!!

Also, the Nigerian Gas Company has cut gas supplies to industrial users, especially in the northern part of the country. A few companies in the southern axis of the country may also suffer similar fate.

Heeeee, this people wicked o! see tribalism!!!

federal Government should find a way out of this whole problem. if FG continues to take a stiff position on the issue of the militants like what we have now, the outcome will be very disastrous for us all in this country. the economy will continue to go down and the slide of Naira to Dollar will continue. someone up there should wake up to their task and advice the leaders well

Good! It was operating waaaay below capacity anyways.

Ironically not one iota difference does that make in anyway

he that is down fears no fall, niger delta, mend is already down, the rest of u, so called nigerians are coming down to join us. welcome.

Didn't know there was a refinery in Warri.
Is there any other refinery in Nigeria?

P.S. Having a car sitting on it's rims doesn't qualify one among car owners.

well typical Nigeria

claiming damage to refinery that was long dead

*hiss*

Warri Refinery is not dead please stop it.
Na una kill am abi

well typical Nigeria

claiming damage to refinery that was long dead

*hiss*

It's for cover up.
I hiss too!

Cry for me Argentina Nigeria,

Yes! Breaking News!!!

Nigeria Airways too to shut down due to inadequate supply of aviation gas. Yeee! Nigeria is truly finished. They have totally brought the aviation sector to a halt. How will Nigerians travel without Nigeria Airways? The country has finally grinded to a halt.

This is just exactly the way I feel when I hear this story about Warri Refinery. Please! The place doesn't exist. How could it now possibly be operating below capacity because of the actions of MEND?

So MEND is now the ultimate blame bag?

This is just stupid. WARRI REFINERY DOES NOT EXIST!!!

it sure is a figment of some imagination

But who do this people take us for, dummies? Everyone knows that all our refineries are long dead and about to be interred, so how could MEND/JTF actions cause a shot down? Nigerian leaders self. I tire o.

Hmn! Happy 10 year demoncratic (army arrangement) anniversary for Nigeria.

Refineries _{well at least, that at Warri} were working albeit, below the maximum capacities but certainly functional enough to be of value.

Yeah it is true that pipelines were indeed vandalized; a lot of facilities around those regions are now flaring products at a very high rate cuz the pipelines cannot be used. . . . . . . . last time this happened around the neighbourhood of the world's 3^rd largest ongoing project facility, it took 2yrs to get rectified.

dnex:

Sell refinery, dem no gree. Oya operate it, they can't fit.

This JTF wicked sef O! See the name of their oga: Sarkin Yaki. It means king of war. MEND is in for it.

, ROFLMAO