Fire at Australia's Largest Oil Refinery Contained, May Impact Gasoline Output
Australian energy company Viva Energy Group on Thursday said a major fire at its Geelong refinery in Victoria has been brought under control but the incident may impact gasoline and aviation fuel output.A major fire was detected at the refinery's gasoline unit. Fire Rescue Victoria is in control of the incident and all personnel have been accounted for, the company said in a statement.The extent of damage to the facility is yet to be ascertained and the refinery continues to operate at reduced production rates, the statement said."We anticipate that the impacts will be predominantly to the production of gasoline and aviation gasoline, however, the damage needs to be assessed and understood. There is no immediate impact to fuel supply, and the Company expects to replace any lost production through its fuel import program," Viva Energy said.The company said it is working closely with emergency services and relevant authorities and will assess the damage once safe.The 120,000 barrel-per day Geelong refinery is the larger of Australia's two oil refineries and meets more than half of the fuel requirements in Victoria and one-tenth of Australia's fuel demand, Reuters reported Thursday.About 80% of Australia's fuel needs are met via imports and the incident further complicates the situation for the country as it scrambles to secure alternate supplies in the midst of an energy supply crisis resulting from the Iran war, the report said.