Dangote Refinery operating normally after fire—Chiejina

Dangote Refinery has said that it is operating normally after a fire at its effluent treatment plant. In a statement  it said “Dangote Refinery contains minor fire at its effluent treatment plant. We have swiftly contained a minor fire incident at our effluent treatment plant, today Wednesday 26th of June. There is no cause for alarm as the refinery is operating and there is no recorded injury or body harm to any of our staff on duty. SIGNED ANTHONY CHIEJINA Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer Dangote Industries Limited” 

The statement is coming on the heels of Wednesday, after videos circulated online of dark plumes of smoke at the 650,000 barrel-per-day facility. The refinery is located in Lekki, roughly 80 kilometres east of Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos. Chiejina did not provide a reason for the fire at the refinery, which was built at a cost of $20 billion by Aliko Dangote. The refinery started production in January and will be the largest in Africa and Europe when it reaches full capacity. It could upend what has been a highly lucrative Europe-to-Africa fuel trade and transform Nigeria into an exporter of fuels.