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Australia's Fuel Supply Stable Despite Major Oil Refinery Fire in Geelong

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returned early from an overseas trip to assess the damage from a major fire at Viva Energy's Geelong oil refinery. He assured the public that the incident would have a minimal impact on national fuel production, with 80% of diesel and aviation fuel output continuing. The fire, caused by equipment failure, broke out at one of only two operational refineries in the country. Authorities are monitoring the situation with hopes that petrol production, currently at 60% capacity, can increase in the coming days.

Key Points: Australian Fuel Supply Impact Minimal After Refinery Fire: PM

  • Fire at one of Australia's two oil refineries
  • PM Albanese cuts trip short to inspect damage
  • 80% diesel and aviation fuel production continues
  • Facility provides 10% of national fuel supply
  • Equipment failure cited as cause
2 min read

Oil refinery fire to have minimal impact on Australian fuel supply: PM Albanese

PM Anthony Albanese says a major fire at Viva Energy's Geelong refinery will have minimal impact on national fuel production and supply.

"The advice that we've received today is that 80 per cent of diesel production is continuing, 80 per cent of aviation fuel is continuing. - Anthony Albanese"

Melbourne, April 17

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that a major fire that broke out at one of Australia's two oil refineries will have a minimal impact on fuel production.

Albanese on Friday returned early from an official trip to Brunei and Malaysia to inspect the damage at Viva Energy's refinery southwest of Melbourne after equipment failure caused a major fire on Wednesday night. The fire was extinguished around midday on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the refinery, Albanese said that the timing of the fire was "regrettable" amid the oil supply crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East, but that it would have a minimal impact on production.

"The advice that we've received today is that 80 per cent of diesel production is continuing, 80 per cent of aviation fuel is continuing," said Albanese, who was in Brunei and Malaysia for talks on fuel security.

Petrol production at the facility, which provides 10 per cent of Australia's national fuel supply, was at 60 per cent of capacity on Friday and there are hopes that it can "ramp up" in the coming days, Albanese said.

He said that the government would provide its regular weekly update on fuel stockpile levels on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Authorities said on Thursday that equipment failure caused a major fire at an Australian oil refinery that is expected to affect the national fuel supply.

The fire broke out at Viva Energy's refinery in the city of Geelong, 65 km southwest of Melbourne, around 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday and was continuing to burn on Thursday morning.

The facility is one of only two operational refineries in Australia and produces about 10 per cent of the national fuel supply.

Michelle Cowling, deputy commissioner of the fire and rescue service in the state of Victoria, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio that equipment failure in the refinery caused the fire.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
The PM cutting his trip short shows they're taking it seriously. "Minimal impact" is reassuring for global markets, especially with everything happening in the Middle East. Hope they investigate the equipment failure thoroughly. Safety first!
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Priya S
Only two refineries for the whole country? That's a surprisingly low number for a developed nation like Australia. We have many more in India, but still face supply issues. This highlights how fragile global fuel supply chains can be.
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Aman W
The timing is indeed regrettable. Global oil prices are already volatile. Hope this doesn't cause a spike that affects us here. Our petrol prices are high enough already, yaar! 🛢️
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Michael C
While the PM's statement is meant to calm nerves, saying "minimal impact" when 40% of petrol production is down at a facility providing 10% of national supply seems a bit optimistic. It's a significant chunk. Transparency about the stockpile levels tomorrow will be key.
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Shreya B
Glad the fire was extinguished and no casualties reported. The focus should be on the workers' safety and preventing such incidents. Proper maintenance of such critical infrastructure is non-negotiable, whether in Australia or India.

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