From Reuters
Irving Oil Corp shut its Saint John refinery in the Canadian province of New Brunswick on Monday morning after a fire, with photos showing smoke billowing from the complex.
The company said it was dealing with a “major incident” at the 320,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Residents reported hearing an explosion and seeing a fire, according to local media.
“We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available,” Irving said in a statement. It said on Twitter that all of its employees and contractors have been accounted for, and that “several” are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Saint John Regional Hospital is treating two people with minor injuries as a result of the explosion, according to Horizon Health, which operates the hospital. A spokesperson there declined to comment further.
Energy intelligence service Genscape reported the plant was being shut due to a fire, saying it appeared to have occurred near the catalytic reformer.
The crude section, catalytic reformer and a cogeneration unit were shut following the incident, Genscape reported, adding that multiple units were already offline for maintenance.
The company shut most of the plant for planned maintenance in late September, but the smaller, 25,000 bpd gasoline-making units and the 125,000 bpd crude unit were still running, a source familiar with the plant’s operations said.
The source said he believed the explosion was within the section of the plant that houses the hydrogen unit.
Over one-half of the finished products from the refinery are exported to the U.S. Northeast, according to Irving’s website.
Reports of the fire sparked a rally in futures in refined products; gasoline was up about 2 percent following the reports.
