Fire Erupts at Viva's Corio Oil Refinery
A significant fire has erupted at one of Australia's two oil refineries, intensifying concerns regarding the nation's petrol supplies amid a global fuel shortage.
Emergency responders arrived at Viva Energy's Corio oil refinery in Geelong, located southwest of Melbourne, shortly before midnight on Wednesday following reports of explosions and visible flames. This refinery is responsible for producing 50% of Victoria's fuel and 10% of Australia's total fuel supply.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported; however, the fire remains active and has led to air quality warnings in the surrounding area.
Operational Status and Government Response
The refinery continues to operate partially, with jet fuel and diesel production ongoing but at reduced levels as a precautionary safety measure. Nonetheless, government officials have issued warnings about potential disruptions to petrol production.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen described the timing of the fire as "not great" given Australia's fuel supplies have been under strain since the outbreak of war in Iran, which has triggered a global oil crisis.
Diesel prices in Australia have doubled in recent weeks, with fuel stations experiencing shortages amid reports of panic buying. Additionally, airlines have begun reducing some services due to rising jet fuel costs.
"This is not a positive development, but obviously there's a long way to go in terms of working out just what the impact is," Bowen said during an interview on Nine's Today show on Thursday, adding that he is collaborating closely with the company.
"Obviously, this is very early days."
Cause and Impact of the Fire
Fire Rescue Victoria attributed the fire to "equipment failure" and announced that an investigation will be conducted.
The refinery processes approximately 120,000 barrels of oil daily and employs over 1,100 staff members.
Scott Wyatt, Chief Executive Officer of Viva Energy, emphasized that ensuring safety is the current priority rather than production.
"Production is not our primary priority today... it's getting the site safe," Wyatt stated.
He noted that the fire affected two petrol production units, while other units remained undamaged.
"There are units that make petrol that haven't been impacted by this incident as well, but naturally petrol will be one of the products that are potentially impacted," Wyatt said.
"We'll only start increasing production again once we're confident we can do that safely."
Worker Safety and Local Reactions
Ronnie Hayden, state secretary of the Victorian branch of the Australian Workers' Union, informed the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that between 50 and 100 workers were present at the refinery when the fire began but were evacuated safely.
Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj described the fire as "unprecedented" and indicated it is expected to continue burning for several hours.
"I've spoken to management there this morning and needless to say, this has been a huge shock and has rocked them," Kontelj told the ABC.
"The fire is still burning and will have to just burn out. Because of the intensity, it was difficult for the fire units to do much other than to watch."
