The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has confirmed gas leakage on the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company’s (NPDC), Well 6, in Sangama community, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Tne regulatory commission, in a statement said efforts were being made alongside other relevant agencies to deal with the situation.
According to the Commission’s Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, the incident which was reportedly observed on September 3, 2022 about 13:30 hours, was reported by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Exploration and Production Limited (NNPC E&P LTD) on September 9, 2022.
Komolafe said a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) was carried out on September 11, by a team from NUPRC, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Rivers State Ministry of Environment as well as Community representatives with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in attendance.
He said during the JIV, the team observed gas leak from one of the valves on the well head.
He stated that a closer look showed that the Anode valve on the well head had been tampered with.
According to him, it was adjudged by the regulators to have been caused by third party interference.
Komolafe added that the community did not agree with the regulators and as a result would not sign the joint investigation report in spite of the technical explanation by the team.
He said that this prompted the team to reconvene on September 15, 2022 when, after an extensive discussion, all stakeholders eventually signed the incident report.
He said efforts were ongoing to prevent further leakage, repair the damage and ensure that “the development does not in any way affect the health and social lives of the people of the area and dors not negatively impact the environment.”
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