Nnewi Gas Explosion: DPR Mandates Company To Provide Documents For Investigations

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has mandated the Intercorp Gas Plant, Nnewi, Anambra State, to provide all necessary documents that will aid the panel of inquiry to know the cause of the incident.

This is following the gas explosion and fire incident that occurred on December 24, 2015 which left 10 people dead.

The Zonal Operations Controller of the Department of Petroleum Resources Owerri, Mr Morrison Nwokedi made this known in Owerri, the Imo state capital, during a meeting with the management team of Chicason Group of Companies’.

Mr Nwokedi said the DPR is “left with the responsibility to find out what went wrong so that we can share the learning points with others and possibly forestall a recurrence of such in the future”.

The DPR Zonal operations controller in Owerri, Mr Morrison Nwokedi, who chaired the meeting said The Mineral Oils (Safety) Regulations 1997 is clear on its responsibilities as the DPR in connection with an accident that occurs in an Oil and/or a Gas operation under a licence or lease binds the agency in the inquiry into the cause of the incident.

He said even though the gas company has been cooperative in their investigations, they still need to come up with more documents that will aid investigations to find out what went wrong so that they can share the learning points with others and possibly forestall a recurrence of such in the future.

However, the company while presenting some vital documents to the DPR, noted that apart from the hospital bills and burial functions already expended on the victims of the sad incident, they have also paid compensations to some families of those affected, while also calling on those yet to be compensated to come forward and inform the company with evidence for onward compensation.

Meanwhile, the DPR boss said the agency as part of its responsibilities has commenced massive orientation for gas plant owners in the zone so as to avoid any further occurrence. He urged gas plant owners to always abide by the rules and regulations.

The DPR has also scheduled another meeting with the company and also families of victims affected in the explosion later this week as part of the ongoing investigation.