The Cardón refinery suspended processing after a fire and damage to a gas line. Three sources confirmed the shutdown to Reuters; state oil company PDVSA had not immediately commented.
Venezuela’s Cardón refinery halted operations after a fire at one of its units, three sources told CNN Brasil on Tuesday, October 6. Two sources said a rupture in a gas line serving the gasoil-producing unit led to the shutdown.
Sources said the fire was under control and workers had been evacuated. Cardón can process up to 310,000 barrels per day and is part of the Paraguaná complex, whose total capacity is 955,000 barrels per day. State oil company PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reuters separately reported that three sources confirmed the shutdown. The agency could not immediately verify social-media videos showing flames and smoke, but received accounts from people who said they had seen the fire. Last month, Cardón had already halted a crude distillation unit and a catalytic cracking unit because of insufficient feedstock.