PJSC Lukoil subsidiary OOO Lukoil Ukhtaneftepererabotka has extinguished a fire that broke out on Jan. 9 at its 4.2 million-tonne/year Ukhta refinery in the central part of the Komi Republic in Russia’s North-West Federal District.
The fire, which occurred at the refinery’s additive input unit, was extinguished around 1:14 a.m. local time on Jan. 10, Lukoil said.
Repair and restoration work is now under way at the unit, which is located on an independent block a safe distance away from the refinery’s main processing units, according to the operator.
With other production units at the refinery still operating normally, production of commercial products remains ongoing, and there are no restrictions on the complex’s intake of oil, Lukoil said.
Ignition at the additive input unit, which took place at 4:49 p.m. local time on Jan. 9, was recorded by the refinery’s sensors and surveillance cameras. In accordance with corporate procedures, the refinery executed notification to federal and regional emergency officials in accordance with the company’s emergency response plan.
Lukoil said it has already established a commission to determine the cause of the incident, which resulted in one refinery employee’s hospitalization with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to results of continuous air monitoring by the refinery’s stationary ecological station and mobile laboratory, the incident has not resulted in environmental pollution or negative impacts on the health of the residents in Ukhta, Lukoil said.
Robert Brelsford | Downstream Editor
Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast, West Coast, Canadian, and Latin American markets. He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University.
