Petron refinery on 35-day shutdown

The petroleum refining facility of Petron Corporation in Limay, Bataan will be on a 35day downtime – which started with an emergency shutdown when 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck last April 22; and it will continue to a “turnaround” or maintenance shutdown starting May 1.

Petron advised that “our refinery in Limay, Bataan was forced to go into an emergency shutdown following the strong earthquake that affected Central Luzon and Metro Manila on April 22.”

It explained that “the earthquake triggered the protective tripping of certain refinery units resulting in the emergency shutdown.”

Following that, the oil firm had to undertake flaring of gases, which it indicated “is an important safety measure in refinery facilities due to the absence of an alternative power supply.”

Gas flaring refers to the burning of unwanted or excess gases and liquids during unplanned over-pressuring operations in industrial processes,

including in oil refineries.

After the earthquake-induced emergency shutdown, Petron will also be carrying out Its refinery turnaround or scheduled maintenance activities.

It noted that even prior to the disaster, the refinery was already preparing for its regular maintenance schedule that shall commence on May 1.

“The turnaround will allow us to perform regular maintenance and repair for all process units, as well as assess any possible damage caused by the earthquake,” the oil company said.

During this entire process, Petron assured customers that “we have ample inventory to supply our domestic market requirements.”

Petron, which has a refining capacity of 180,000 barrels per stream day, is currently the country’s biggest – and it supplies both the domestic and export markets.

The refinery has also been blueprinted for expansion on its capacity that could then elevate that to 270,000 to 300,000 barrels per day.