The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has said that its subsidiary, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, KRPC, is losing an average of N2.2 billion annually to illegal tapping of its raw water pipeline from Kaduna River.
NNPC, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said that the Kaduna Refinery is currently operating at 65 per cent installed capacity, producing 1.7 million litres of petrol, 1.7 million litres of diesel and 700, 000 litres of kerosene daily.
Managing Director of KRPC, Mr. Idi Mukhtar, explained that the illegal acts are committed mostly in Janruwa, Kamazo, Namaigero and Mahuta areas of Kaduna metropolis, which are the communities along the raw water intake pipeline Right of Way.
Mukhtar noted that the water generates power for the running of the refinery, serves as coolants for its equipment and is also deployed to combating fire outbreaks, adding that sequel to the series of tapping, the refinery now spend more on diesel and other material inputs in the maintenance of its generators and other equipment.
According to him, the consumption of raw water from the tapped pipes by settlers who encroach KRPC premises was an unnecessary additional burden to the refinery industrial requirements, which must be resolved urgently by relevant state government agencies.
Other form of the losses due to the act of illegal tapping of the refinery raw water pipeline, he explained, was that it slows down the build-up rate of water in the reserve tanks which endangers the refinery, as the plant is expected to maintain a minimum level of water requirement that is considered safe for operations.
He said, “We require a particular amount of water sufficient enough to generate steam and other industrial consumption needs, but because of the incidents of illegal tapping of our water pipeline, we need to put more effort to meet our industrial requirements as well as satisfy appetite of illegal tappers.”
He, however, advised the individuals concerned to desist from the act, warning that the raw water was not fit for human consumption because it was untreated.
Also speaking, Executive Director Operations, KRPC, Mr. Shehu Malami, expressed the fear that if the challenge was not attended to urgently, a time would come when the plant would not be able to run some of its critical units.
