Albanese says no fuel restrictions in wake of massive Geelong refinery fire | Petrol prices
Oil production at one of Australia’s two remaining oil refineries has fallen by 40% but damage caused by a fire at the Geelong facility will not lead to fuel restrictions, Anthony Albanese said.
The Prime Minister spoke on Friday morning outside the Viva Energy refinery, which supplied about half of Victoria’s fuel before a massive fire burned for 13 hours until midday on Thursday, saying the plant was also producing less diesel and aviation fuel.
“The advice we received today is that 80 percent of diesel production continues. [and] “80 percent of aviation fuel remains,” Albanese said.
“It has slowed down a bit due to current conditions, but 60 percent of oil production is [is] It continues today.
“We hope… it will increase in the coming period.”
Albanese did not give a timeline for when production would return to normal.
The fire at the Viva Energy facility in the Geelong suburb of Corio started on Wednesday night and Victoria Fire Rescue was alerted to the blaze by multiple calls reporting explosions and flames to triple zero.
The refinery can process approximately 120,000 barrels of oil each day, according to the Viva Energy website. Last month, the company announced that it continued to supply materials despite the war in Iran.
The company said the fire had “no immediate impact” on its fuel supply and that it expects to offset the production loss through its fuel import programme.
Energy experts warned on Thursday that further fuel restrictions may be necessary and Victorian motorists should be prepared for a short-term petrol price increase of up to 20 cents a litre.
Albanese flew home early from his fuel diplomacy mission to Southeast Asia on Thursday night following the fire.
He said the fire was “regrettable”, especially given its timing, but that it would not push the country into “phase 3” of the national fuel plan.
The plan, announced late last month, has four levels: 1) plan and prepare; 2) ensure Australia’s progress; 3) taking goal-directed action; and 4) protecting critical services for all Australians.
Australia was ranked at level 2, with fuel supplies continuing despite local supply disruptions.
Under this regulation, drivers are encouraged to “purchase only the fuel they need.” The plan says making voluntary choices will use less fuel and help consumers avoid the impact of higher fuel prices.
Levels 3 and 4 include more challenging conditions designed to prioritize fuel supplies to regions and critical industries.
“The government has put in place four phases to prepare and plan for conditions that are predominantly affected by global events, not events here,” Albanese said on Friday. he said.
“The event here will not result in any changes; we will provide an update on current fuel stocks tomorrow.
“The fact that 60 percent of oil production is continuing is actually very positive, given the conditions people are seeing… We’ve all seen the visuals of a serious fire.
On Thursday, Bill Patterson, Viva Energy’s general manager of energy and infrastructure, said that while the cause of the fire was still under investigation, there was no indication it was caused by maintenance issues or increased production at the facility.
He said the affected area is part of the refinery responsible for converting LPG into gasoline-type molecules that are then used in fuel blending and specialty products.
