Adds casualty confirmation, details on refinery operations
ExxonMobil said there has been a fire at its 557,000 b/d refinery in Baytown, Texas, in the early hours of today. Local law enforcement described the event as a "major industrial accident".
The Harris County Sheriff's Office said "some type of explosion" occurred at the plant, and that four people were injured. ExxonMobil said emergency services are on the scene and smoke may be noticeable.
Earlier this week, a loading valve fault within a coker unit led to increased emissions at Baytown. The complex also houses petrochemicals operations — it has 1.13mn t/yr of propylene capacity spread across an olefins cracker and the refinery and 3.82mn t/yr of ethylene capacity at the olefins unit, along with associated downstream elements.
