Notch Consulting has received word that the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), a unit of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has resumed limited production of carbon black at a production unit located at its refinery in Warri, Nigeria. This carbon black plant has been shut down in recent years and operated sporadically for at least a decade. Notch has its nameplate capacity listed at 18,000 tonnes per year. In addition to the carbon black unit, the entire Warri refinery has operated erratically in recent years due to financial problems, lack of proper maintenance, and persistent attacks on pipelines by oil thieves. According to this article from August, the refinery saw its supply of crude oil cut off in August for unexplained reasons.
A source that pleaded anonymity told LEADERSHIP Friday, “PPMC [Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, another subsidiary of NNPC] has cut off crude oil supply to Warri Refinery in the past two weeks. We don’t know the reason for the action from official quarters but information going round indicated that the order came from the above. The report available to the workers showed that the authorities in Abuja asked the PPMC to stop further supply of crude oil to WRPC because the plant is operating at a loss.
A local source told Notch that the refinery was shut down due to a leak in a production line, and that repairs were being initiated. According to this source, the refinery is expected to begin production again in November, at which time the carbon black plant will be restarted with output of about 1,000 tonnes per month of N330 grade.
Carbon black from the unit is being marketed by a company called Intercity Petroleum. Here is a spec sheet on the product. Interested parties should contact the seller directly at worldclassprints@gmail.com.
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