Geelong refinery running below capacity as recovery continues

Fuel production at Geelong’s refinery is still operating at reduced capacity after last week’s fire, as the site works to restore operations.

The blaze, which broke out last Wednesday night, was contained to the refinery’s alkylation unit, which is used in the production of high-octane gasoline.

The fire is understood to have been sparked by a leak, which quickly intensified and was fuelled by highly flammable materials within the unit.

Viva Energy said most of the facility’s major processing units were unaffected, and as of Monday, diesel and jet fuel production is at about 80 per cent capacity and petrol at about 60 per cent.

Viva Energy chief executive Scott Wyatt said the focus was on restoring operations safely.

“The whole Viva Energy team understands how important our refinery is to the energy security of the country, especially at the current time” Wyatt said.

“We will progressively restore production once we are confident that it is safe to do so, and do not expect any disruptions to fuel availability or price increases for Viva Energy’s customers as a result of this incident.”

The company said it has sufficient fuel stocks to cover the reduced output and expects to maintain normal supply.

Production is expected to increase to more than 90 per cent capacity over the coming weeks, as inspections of the site continue.

Wyatt said the company would undertake a full investigation into the cause of the fire.

“This was a significant event which was confronting for our employees, neighbours and the broader community,” he said.

“I am relieved that everyone is safe and apologise for any distress this has caused.

“We will support a thorough investigation to understand what has caused this incident and ensure that we learn from this.”

The Geelong refinery is one of only two remaining in Australia and supplies close to 30 per cent of the nation’s fuel.