BP says output 'near normal' at its Texas City complex

01 April 2004 01:20  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (CNI)--BP said Wednesday that its Texas City, Texas refinery and chemicals complex continues to produce fuels and chemical feedstocks "at near normal capacity" following Tuesday's explosion and fire that damaged the site's No. 4 ultraformer.

Asked whether customers of the plant may be put on allocation, a BP spokesman said that question could not yet be assessed. "We are still assessing the situation we have there," the spokesman said.

BP officials at Texas City and in Chicago, Illinois also told CNI today that there is "no evidence of explosion damage at the scene." The officials said loud explosions reported by area residents Tuesday evening "may have been the ignition of hydrocarbons that escaped from the unit."

There were no injuries to plant personnel in the blast and fire. The company said that more than 200 fire fighters and other emergency personnel responded to the incident Tuesday.

BP Chemicals spokesman Scott Dean in Chicago said that at the time of Tuesday's explosion and fire, "the ultraformer was producing aromatic chemical feedstocks." Dean said he could not be sure which feedstocks were being generated but that they were likely benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX).

Dean noted that "within the Texas City complex there is flexibility between units that allow us to adjust production streams to allow BP to better manage production requirements to meet the needs of customers and suppliers."

Dean said that except for the shutdown ultraformer, "the rest of the complex continues to run at normal or near normal capacity."

He said that while it is too early to determine the full impact of the accident, "investigators have reported that only a section of the reformer was damaged."

Texas City is located about 30 miles southeast of Houston on Galveston Bay.

By: Joe Kamalick
+1 713 525 2653

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