Explosion at El Palito refinery was opposition opportunity to spread alarm

www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 By: David Coleman

Puerto Cabello Fedepetrol trade union secretary general Diesbalo Espinoza says there's been an explosion in a catalyzer unit at the El Palito refinery in Carabobo State ... he claims that the National Guard (GN) and members of local Bolivarian Circles had denied access to local media reporting the incident.

Espinoza says he does nto have many facts to go on because of the new blackout but that there had probably been an accident when oil industry employees attempted to start up the refinery ... he believes that one of the control valves may have been damaged in a regeneration tower.

• Espinoza says it is the second such accident at the El Palito refinery over the last couple of weeks and that the immediate population will again suffer from contamination.

Meanwhile El Palito's general manager Asdrubal Chavez denies any explosion at the refinery and says it is "typical exaggeration by the opposition media" ... he explains that there was a problem with one of the catalytic cracker units which resulted in a process halt but that there was never any explosion.

"There was no fire ... opposition propagandists are using the (temporary) halt in refinery operations as just another excuse to spread alarm and discontent ... everything will be back up and running within the next 48 hours."