Victorian oil refinery fire may impact fuel supply

A fire broke out at the Viva Energy oil refinery in Geelong on the night of 15 April. Petrol production is expected to be impacted and authorities are warning the full extent of the damage is still unknown.

Professor Yuan Chen in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney said, “Australia’s two remaining oil refineries collectively account for approximately 10 to 20% of the nation’s total fuel supply. As such, a disruption at a single refinery is expected to affect only a limited portion of overall domestic fuel availability.

“It is important to recognise that Australia relies heavily on imported refined fuels, with the majority sourced from international suppliers including Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia. This diversified supply chain provides a degree of resilience against short-term domestic disruptions.

“The affected refinery, constructed in the 1950s, represents aging infrastructure. Oil refining is inherently a high-temperature, high-risk industrial process. It involves heating crude oil to approximately 350 to 400°C in furnaces, converting it into vapour, and subsequently condensing it into fractions with different chemical compositions. These operating conditions, combined with the potential for equipment degradation over time, can increase the likelihood of incidents such as fires if not carefully managed through maintenance and safety systems.”

Also in response to the fire, WWF-Australia Chief Regenerative Officer Nicole Forrester said, “We’re relieved to hear that nobody’s been hurt and our thoughts are with the workers, first responders and affected communities in the local area.

“This industrial fire, amidst a global energy crisis, highlights the fact that fossil fuels are not the answer to Australian energy security.

“Australia has the expertise and the unparalleled renewable resources to put an end to our over-reliance on dangerous and unreliable oil, gas and coal.

“The only way for Australia to ensure long-term fuel security and energy independence is to double down on renewables and electrification.”

Firefighters onsite have reported that the fire at the oil refinery has now been extinguished and the cause is not being considered as suspicious. It is understood no workers were injured in the incident.

WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the fire would be commenced once the site was safe.

“Right now, as Victoria’s health and safety and dangerous goods regulator, WorkSafe’s priority is supporting lead agencies to ensure that all work on the site is carried out safely and without risk to workers or the public,” Jenkin said.

“We understand there is significant community concern about this incident and will continue to engage with our stakeholders during the ongoing response and recovery.”

Image credit: iStock.com/matejmo. Image used for illustrative purposes only.