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The deterioration is evident. After noon this Friday, August 14, a new leak was registered at the El Palito refinery, Carabobo, this time in the catalyst of the catalytic cracking fractionation plant (FCC), essential in the fuel production process, according to an oil unionist and PDVSA internal sources.
Eudis Girot, executive director of the Unitary Federation of Petroleum Workers of Venezuela (Futpv), explained that there was not a fire but rather a catalyst and gas leak that occurred after an attempt by the management of the refinery of increase catalytic naphtha production and, in turn, increase the processing capacity of the FCC plant.
The battered Carabobeño refining center was paralyzed from 2017 until mid-March of this year, when fuel production was resumed at minimum levels: between 10,000 and 20,000 barrels per day, of the 140,000 it is capable of processing. But it has not been an easy road, but full of obstacles. In the last five months, operations have been suspended due to various failures associated with the divestment and lack of maintenance.
According to a preliminary report from a refinery operator, there were no injuries from the catalyst leak. However, Girot warned that workers are at risk due to “very unsafe conditions” inside the oil facility. “Under pressure from the government, they try to produce gasoline at whatever cost, putting workers’ lives in danger.”
Less than a month ago, on July 21, there were leaks in the pipes of the crude plant and the FCC plant in El Palito. This would have been the origin of the spill of hydrocarbon that today affects fragile ecosystems of Golfo Triste and Morrocoy National Park, in Falcón. Satellite photographs of the Remote Sensing Laboratory of the Simón Bolívar University (USB) show this.
Officials of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin), as well as members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), they keep the Puerto Cabello-Morón road closed in both directions, near the El Palito distributor, due to the incident at the refinery.
Amid an acute gasoline and diesel shortage that keeps Venezuelans in long lines outside service stations to try to refill their vehicles, the country is left without the ability to produce fuel due to the stoppage of its main refining complexes.
The specialized agency Argus revealed this Thursday, August 13, that the Paraguaná Refining Complex (CRP), which is the second largest in the world, is still unable to produce even a drop of gasoline, despite having reactivated the distillation plants on Wednesday from the Amuay and Cardón refineries.
“PDVSA expects a year’s fuel shortage to ease in the second half of September“Argus added in his post. Officials from the CRP management told the specialized media on energy and hydrocarbons that they plan to restart gasoline production in 10 or 15 days.
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