Fire hits Chevron’s (NYSE:CVX) California Crude Oil refining unit

Fire hits Chevron’s (NYSE:CVX) California Crude Oil refining unit

The only Crude Oil distillation unit at Chevron Corp’s large Richmond, California, refinery may be shut for at least 4 to 6 months after last week’s fire, industry intelligence group IIR Energy said in a report that suggests the outage may be twice as long as feared.

Investigators have found “extensive damage” in the cooling towers, pipe racks and heater tower, IIR Energy tsaid Friday.

Neither Chevron nor investigators have given any timeline for resuming full operations at the 245,000-BPD plant, California’s second largest, following an 6 August fire at its Crude Oil unit that caused a spike in regional gasoline prices.

A Chevron spokesman on Monday reiterated only that the No. 4 Crude Oil unit, the only one at the plant was still shut down while other parts of the plant were operating.

Sources at the refinery said last week the unit could be shuttered for up to 3 months. The fire erupted at a pump leaking a substance similar to Diesel, according to a preliminary report the company filed with county pollution regulators last week.

Last week, the plant was producing gasoline at over 50% capacity, sources said.

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