Venezuela's Super Octanos Blast Kills Worker, Nacional Reports
By Peter Wilson
Caracas, April 28 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- Super Octanos SA, one of Venezuela's largest petrochemical companies, said one of four workers injured in Friday's explosion and fire has died, the plant's first fatality in 11 years, El Nacional reported.
Super Octanos, which produces methyl tertiary butyl ether, a gasoline additive used to boost octane and add oxygen to make fuel burn cleaner, remains shuttered. Unidentified officials gave no indication when it would restart operations, the newspaper said.
The fire and explosion may have resulted from a leak in one of its systems, releasing oil components into the atmosphere, the paper said. Super Octanos is a joint venture among Venezuela's state petrochemical company Pequiven SA, Italy's Ecofuel and Venezuela's Mercantil Servicios Financieros.
The plant, in the eastern state of Anzoategui, has the capacity to produce 600,000 metric tons a year.
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