Massive Fire Breaks Out at Romania’s Largest Oil Refinery
Fire Breaks Out at Romania’s Largest Crude Oil Refinery
A fire has erupted at Petromidia, Romania’s largest crude oil refinery, located on the Black Sea coast. The incident reportedly began with an explosion, according to a statement released by the Romanian Ministry of Environment.
Thankfully, the government’s emergency response unit swiftly brought the situation under control, and no dangerous substances were found in the air. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure against the risk of re-ignition, personnel were evacuated from the site while firefighters continued their cooling efforts.
Although black smoke billowed from the refinery, visible from a significant distance, there have been no reports of casualties or injuries as a result of the fire.
Rompetrol Rafinare, the owner of the refinery, is primarily controlled by KMG International, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s state oil company, KazMunayGaz. The Romanian government possesses a 45 percent stake in the facility, which receives its crude oil supply from Kazakhstan.
According to the refinery’s website, last year it processed 5.26 million tons of crude oil. Additionally, 63 percent of the 4.1 million tons of fuel oil produced, including gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel, were sold within Romania.
The incident marks a significant event for Romania’s energy sector. Authorities will undoubtedly investigate the incident further to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
