Oil refiner Petron Corp. on Thursday assured the public it has ample inventory to supply the market during the shutdown of the 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Limay, Bataan that started on April 22 following the strong earthquake in Luzon.
“We assure our customers that we have ample inventory to supply our domestic market requirements… 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,” Petron said in an advisory.
Petron said the earthquake triggered the protective tripping of certain refinery units resulting in the emergency shutdown. This was followed by flaring of gases which is an important safety measure in refinery facilities due to the absence of an alternative power supply. The shutdown covering both emergency and maintenance will extend until the end of May.
“At the time of the emergency shutdown, the refinery was preparing for a regular total plant turnaround beginning May 1 for scheduled maintenance activities. 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 company said.