VENEZUELA – Gas-line rupture forces shutdown of Venezuela’s Cardón refinery
Venezuela’s second-largest oil refinery suspended operations on 6 October after a ruptured natural-gas line triggered a fire, prompting personnel evacuations and an emergency response.
The Cardón refinery in Punto Fijo, Falcón state, has a nominal processing capacity of 310,000 barrels per day and forms part of state-owned PDVSA’s Paraguaná Refining Centre.
In a statement issued that evening, PDVSA said the rupture occurred at approximately 15:25 local time in a natural-gas line supplying the refinery’s boilers. The company said the fire was quickly contained, with no injuries or major damage reported, and that an investigation was under way. Operations were halted while the situation was assessed.
Earlier accounts from sources consulted by Reuters described the affected line as connected to the diesel hydrotreater. Sources and nearby residents reported explosions, followed by the evacuation of personnel. According to those accounts, the blaze was extinguished within an hour. The initial descriptions of the affected equipment differed from PDVSA’s subsequent statement.
Anadolu Agency reported that PDVSA industrial firefighters and personnel from Venezuela’s National Risk Management System responded, activating emergency safety procedures. Local reports placed the fire in the refinery’s lubricants area, with intense flames alarming residents in surrounding communities.
Footage circulating on social media showed substantial flames and smoke rising from the facility. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the videos, although its sources confirmed seeing smoke and flames.
The incident follows earlier operational disruption at Cardón. Reuters reported that one crude distillation unit and the fluid catalytic cracker had stopped production in September because of insufficient feedstock.
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