Major Fire at Australian Oil Refinery Temporarily Out of Control
A major fire struck one of the two oil refineries still operating in Australia. The fire occurred on Wednesday (15/04) around 11:00 p.m. local time at the refinery owned by Viva Energy Group, located near Geelong in the state of Victoria.
“The fire has not yet been fully brought under control, although it is currently still limited to the facility area,” said Victoria’s firefighting officials in a statement on Thursday (16/04) morning local time.
Authorities stated that the fire involved liquid fuel and gas in the petrol production unit at the refinery.
Residents in Geelong and surrounding areas were asked to remain indoors, close windows and doors, and turn off air conditioning and heating systems.
Around 300,000 people live in the port city, which is about an hour’s drive from Melbourne.
Victoria’s firefighting officials confirmed that all refinery workers have been accounted for and there are no reports of injuries.
One resident, Ronnie Hayden, told Australia’s national broadcaster ABC that about 100 workers were at the site during the incident, and all managed to escape unharmed.
The firefighting authorities lowered the alert level on Thursday morning, stating that “the fire is still being handled, but there is no threat to the public.”
Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj told ABC Radio Melbourne that the fire was an unprecedented event and is expected to continue for several more hours.
Australia has only two active oil refineries
Viva Energy’s refinery in Geelong is one of only two oil refineries still operating in Australia.
Most units at the refinery are still running, but at minimum capacity to ensure safety, said Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt to reporters on Thursday morning.
“We will only resume increasing production once we are confident it can be done safely,” he said.
The Corio refinery supplies more than 50% of Victoria’s fuel needs and around 10% of the national requirement, according to its official website. The facility can process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.
Australia itself is facing concerns about energy resilience, especially since the Iran conflict nearly closed the Strait of Hormuz.
The country imports about 90% of its processed fuel needs.
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen told Nine News that the fire primarily impacts petrol production.
“Currently, aviation fuel and diesel production is still ongoing at the refinery, but at a lower level for safety reasons as a precautionary measure,” he said on Thursday morning local time.
He added that the incident appears to be an accident, and an investigation will be conducted to determine the cause.