The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, has ordered the immediate assessment of fire incident on Escravos to Lagos Pipeline (ELP).
The order is in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja by the NNPC Spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu.
Ughamadu noted that the affected pipeline was a natural gas line which supplied the commodity from Escravos region of the Niger Delta area to Lagos.
According to him, gas supply to some states will be affected as a result of the inferno. The spokesman stated that “the pipeline also supplies gas to power plants in the South-West, in addition to feeding the West Africa Gas Pipeline System.
“The incineration of the ELP which was built in 1989 was suspected to have been caused by bush fire on Jan. 2, at Abakila in Ondo State.
“NNPC firemen were drafted to the scene and were able to contain the fire from the leak point of the pipeline incident. However, the fire could not be extinguished due to the high pressure of the line.
“To put off the fire, the line would require being isolated and depressurized, which might lead to complete shutdown of the pipeline segment for repair works to be carried out.
“The exercise will affect gas supply to customers in Ondo, Ogun and Lagos states. “It will cause subsequent shutdown of the following power plants with a combined generating capacity of 1,143MW: Egbin, Lagos, Olorunshogo, PEL Olorunshogo, Ogun, Paras Power Plant, Ogun and Omotosho plant, Ondo.
