Fears over fuel supply

Union claims Corio refinery short on capacity

VICTORIA could be on the verge of a fuel shortage with claims the Geelong refinery’s petrol production is down to a trickle.

An Australian Manufacturing Workers Union organiser yesterday said workers had revealed fuel production was “nowhere near” capacity at Viva Energy’s Corio refinery.

“There are problems with the ‘MOGAS (motor gas) area,” AMWU organiser Tony Hynds said. “Most of it is down.”

“Part of it’s (the MOGAS area) down and that’s why it’s not producing to its full capacity — nowhere near it.

“They are producing a little bit (of fuel) but not a great deal, they had some fuels and that in storage, but he (a worker) said to me if it continues on and they don’t get the joint up and running, they’ll be running out of fuel.”

Viva Energy spokeswoman Jessica Marriner refuted the reduced fuel production claims but said maintenance work was being conducted on the refinery’s processing facilities.

“There is no impact on fuel supply as a result of this maintenance,” Ms Marriner said.

Mr Hynds said part of the area had been down for more than a week, with the worker suggesting it would hopefully be fixed by mid next week.

The Geelong Advertiser understands there are serious issues with the 50m tall catalytic cracking unit (CCU) — a key piece of refinery equipment — with internal fears that it needs significant repairs.

The refinery’s flare — a safety valve that burns excess gas — caused community concern on Thursday night as it sent large, loud flames into the sky.

“Anyone know what’s going on with Shell? Huge Flames and Sky’s all red from the flames and a bit of smoke also,” Chris Mckie posted on social media.

“Is Shell ganna blow up the flame is so big and loud,” Megan McCreadie asked online.

Ms Marriner said the “elevated flare” had been caused by the maintenance work.

The fuel production concerns come after WorkSafe Victoria revealed that it was probing an incident that happened at the refinery.

Viva Energy this week refused to comment on claims leaking kerosene and diesel at the refinery had put a halt to some operations.

Mr Hynds said workers at the plant were “definitely” still concerned about safety at the refinery, after tensions over unsafe working conditions led to a week-long strike of about 400 staff in October.

“This MOGAS area is probably the most dangerous place to work in because of the chemicals and it’s almost like drawing the short straw now to go and work in that area,” Mr Hynds said.

The safety concerns come after a refinery worker suffered burns to the neck following an acid leak in March this year, with emergency services called to the facility after reports of a hydrofluoric acid spill.

Viva Energy also said a leak in a refinery unit used to convert hydrocarbon into other products had led to eight CFA crews responding to a plume of smoke in February.