Contract work set for 250

MOST of the 250 contractors who will complete a fourmonth maintenance program at Viva Energy’s Corio refinery come from Geelong, the company announced yesterday.

The vital maintenance of the Residue Catalytic Cracking Unit will get under way next month, with contractors working on-site as the refinery continues its current operation.

Normally the ‘Cracker Turnaround’ involves shutting down the core of the refinery for almost two months with 700 additional workers on-site.

However, the cracker has been shut down since April as Viva deals with reduced demand for fuels and the worldwide oil glut.

By deferring some work and having a smaller number of contractors on-site for a longer time, Viva hopes to complete the program for between $85 million and $100 million, down from its previous budget of $110 million to $140 million.

Unions have been heavily involved in discussions over the new arrangements and where the external contractors will come from, with Viva having previously brought in workers from around the country.

Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt said while it was unusual for the external maintenance crews to be working for such a long period at the refinery, the revised arrangements were the best outcome for the site.

“It allows us to continue to meet our customer demands and flex production if demands increase,” Mr Wyatt said.

Mr Wyatt said that other than some contractors with specialised skills, the rest of the workers would be from Victoria and “mostly Geelong-based contractors”.

Some work has been deferred until 2021.