AT THE recent eThekwini Municipality council sitting, the City approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between itself and the SA National Petroleum Company (SANPC), formerly known as Sapref.

The MoU aims to enhance fire safety, emergency preparedness and co-ordinated incident response at the company’s premises.

Also read: Sapref auctions more assets

The plant currently serves as a storage facility for imported fuel. As a result, eThekwini said effective collaboration between SANPC and the municipality’s Fire Services Directorate is essential to ensuring swift and co-ordinated responses to potential emergencies.

“The MoU will establish a formal framework for co-operation, clearly defining the responsibilities of both parties regarding fire safety, emergency preparedness and incident management. Council also authorised the municipality’s Legal and Compliance Directorate to draft the agreement and determine the terms and conditions that will govern the partnership,” read eThekwini’s statement.

In 2024, Sapref was sold to the State-owned Central Energy Fund (CEF) for R1 by previous joint owners, BP Southern Africa and Shell Downstream South Africa, after flood damage in 2022 caused the facility to cease production. The CEF rebranded it to SANPC. In April, eThekwini announced that it was working with SANPC in exploring plans to reopen the refinery and bring it to full fuel production.

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