The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it recorded a total of 45,347 pipeline breaks on its downstream network between 2001 and mid-2019.
The Group Managing Director (GMD), Mr. Mele Kyari, told the Nigeria International Pipeline Technology and Security Conference, in Abuja on Wednesday that between 2001 to half year 2019, NNPC recorded a total of 45, 347 pipeline breaks on its downstream pipeline network.
Speaking on the theme: `Pipeline Assets, Critical Backbone to Socio Economic Development’, Kyari said: “The cost of vandalism, which includes fatalities, loss of revenue, asset and environmental degradation, affects everyone.
“Lost revenue, possible loss of employment, collateral damage to national image, loss of investor confidence etc will obviously affect everyone in the long run.’’
He also said that in 2018, a total of 19 fire incidents were recorded on the petroleum products pipelines.
This, he said, remained a challenge stakeholders must come together to find a lasting solution to, in order to end the menace.
Kyari said that the importance of pipelines could not be over emphasised, adding that when there are no pipelines to transport petroleum products, the alternative is to transport by trucks.
He said that the high number of trucks involved in daily transportation of products over long distances contributed to highway accidents and deterioration of the nation’s road network.
He called on all stakeholders including Pipeline professionals, communities, government institutions and industry players to tackle the menace.
Kyari said that the corporation would deploy technology, physical deterrent interventions and other soft options to arrest the menace.
He noted that some progress had been made over the last three years, but more work needed to be done.
He reassured that the corporation would work with the PPAN to improve reliability of the pipeline network to find a lasting solution against the menace of pipeline vandalism.
In his remarks, the Chairman of PPAN, Mr. Jeff Onuoha, said that pipeline remained the backbone in the business of oil and gas.
He said that there was urgent need to secure the nation’s pipeline network to ensure economic growth and development.
“If you don’t have pipeline to transport products, you don’t have any business, because you cannot evacuate without good pipeline network,’’ he said.
In his remarks, Mr. Chidi Izuwa, Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), said that infrastructure development remained key to development.
He said that Nigeria required billions of dollars annually to tackle its infrastructure challenge and that Public Private Partnership should be adopted to achieve it.
MM/GIK/APA