MOSCOW (MRC) -- A fire which broke out at a Shell-owned chemical plant on the same site as Essar Oil UK’s Stanlow refinery in northwestern England has been extinguished, reported Reuters.
Essar said that operations at its refinery were unaffected by the fire, the cause of which is currently unclear.
The Shell Higher Olefins Plant (SHOP) is separated from the refinery by a road and rail tracks. Essar operates the chemical plant as well as the refinery.
"Earlier this afternoon, a fire occurred at the SHOP chemical plant," an Essar spokesman said. The fire was extinguished later on Wednesday, he added.
"Operations and production of fuels and other products from Stanlow Refinery have not been affected. All supplies to customers are normal," the spokesman said, adding all staff were safe and accounted for.
At Stanlow, Shell uses ethylene to manufacture polymer, lubricant and detergent intermediates, plasticisers and detergent alcohols, according to its website. Shell was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier on Wednesday, fire engines from five different locations were sent to the 200,000 barrel per day oil refinery.
"There was a report of a large plume of black smoke. We have several pumps at the scene," a spokeswoman for the Cheshire fire service said. In a statement, the service said engines from five locations were on the scene.
Essar Oil UK, owned by the Indian billionaire Ruia brothers’ Essar Group, bought the refinery near Ellesmere Port from Shell in 2011. Around 900 people work at the refinery, according to its website.
"The site produces a range of oil products including about one sixth of Britain’s transport fuels annually - about 4.4 billion litres of diesel, 3 billion litres of petrol and 2 billion litres of jet fuel," Essar Oil UK’s website said.
We remind that, as MRC wrote earlier, in January 2018, Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) announced a final investment decision on the redevelopment of the Penguins oil and gas field in the UK North Sea. The decision authorizes the construction of a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, the first new manned installation for Shell in the northern North Sea in almost 30 years. The redevelopment is an attractive opportunity with a competitive go-forward break-even price below USD40 per barrel. The FPSO is expected to have a peak production (100%) of circa 45,000 boe/d.
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects.
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