Concern over fire incident at NNPC facility in Niger Delta

Concern over fire incident at NNPC facility in Niger Delta

A fire outbreak has occurred at the Akaso 4 wellhead, a facility operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in the Niger Delta region.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) confirmed the incident in a statement.

Olaide Shonola, NUPRC’s spokesperson, said the fire started on August 2, 2024, at 11:12pm.

The NUPRC said the fire had spread to the adjacent riverbank, raising concerns about environmental contamination.

“NNPC 18 Operating Limited has confirmed that a rapid response emergency team has been deployed to secure the well, address the incident and isolate the affected area using spill containment materials,” the statement read.

“This is to prevent further spread and contamination of the environment. They are also planning to start the oil recovery process immediately.”

It said the company had deployed a naval houseboat in the incident area and established community surveillance to evaluate the situation.

The NUPRC said the cause of the incident was unknown, adding that a joint investigation with relevant stakeholders was being planned to ascertain the cause and the area of impact.

However, the commission noted that the wellhead had been out of operation for a period of time.

The agency said Kenyon International West Africa Company, the contractor engaged to deal with the situation, is facing some difficulties in putting out the fire.

“They are now planning to deploy the total oxygen extraction method instead of the heat extraction method currently being deployed.

“The equipment fabrication is 100 per cent complete and the contractor is awaiting mobilisation from the well owners. Contractor personnel are on-site monitoring the incident,” the statement added.