Explosion Hits Soku Gas Pipeline in Rivers, Causes Fire

• Mar 23, 2025

An explosion occurred late Saturday night at the Soku gas pipeline along the Soku-Elok (Abua)-Rumuji-Bonny export terminal in Rivers State. The incident, which took place between 10 pm and 11 pm on March 22, triggered a fire that was later put out. Christian Otiasah, an environmental manager in the Soku community, confirmed that the facility is operated by Renaissance Group.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear, but Otiasah stated that the blast occurred along the delivery gas line, not inside the gas plant itself. The automated nature of the Soku gas plant helped contain the situation. According to Otiasah, the plant is designed to shut down automatically in response to such incidents. This system isolates the affected lines, cutting off the supply of oxygen and naturally extinguishing the fire.

Although the fire has been extinguished, the explosion is a significant event in the region, which has experienced similar incidents in recent weeks. This explosion comes just days after another blast ruptured a segment of the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) in Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area. The TNP, which is a key oil transport line, had been under Renaissance's control since Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) previously operated it.

Following the explosion on the TNP, operations at the pipeline were temporarily shut down, causing concerns about environmental damage and oil supply disruption. However, on March 19, Renaissance’s spokesperson, Tony Okonedo, confirmed that operations had resumed after a “third-party intervention.”

At the time of reporting, the spokesperson for Renaissance Group had not responded to requests for comments regarding the Soku explosion. As the investigation continues, local authorities and the public remain concerned about the impact of these incidents on the environment and the local economy.