A fire broke out at Indian state-controlled Haldia Petrochemicals' (HPL) 700,000 t/yr naphtha-fed cracker complex in east India's West Bengal state yesterday afternoon.
The fire was put out shortly after it erupted at naphtha tanks at the complex. There were no injuries or significant damage to property, according to sources close to the producer.
The fire was likely started by a spark that lit up open hydrocarbon sources resulting from a leakage while transporting naphtha from pipelines to the tanks, sources said. HPL was conducting a month-long maintenance at the petrochemical complex when the fire broke out.
The turnaround was initially planned for May but was postponed to August because of manpower shortages brought on by Covid-19 restrictions. No delays are expected from the fire, according to market participants.
