Fire at PDVSA's 940,000 b/d Cardon refinery shuts down hydro unit

<a href=ogj.pennnet.com>Oil & Gas journal By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Apr. 28 -- A fire that broke out at midnight Saturday night shut down one of the four hydrodesulfurization units at the Petroleos de Venezuela SA 940,000 b/d Paraguana refinery complex 350 miles from Caracas in Venezuela's western state of Falcon, Caracas television media reported Sunday. No one was injured.

The fire occurred in the 84,000 b/d unit of the complex's Amuay refinery but it was limited to the one unit, which is expected to be back in service within 3 weeks, PDVSA's refinery spokesman said Sunday.

Meanwhile, three other hydrodesulfurization units at the complex will offset the loss in output, the spokesman said.

In another incident in western Venezuela, three refinery workers were seriously injured in an explosion Saturday at the Superoctane methyl tertiary butyl ether production unit at the Jose petrochemical complex, local media reported Sunday. Details were unavailable.