Citgo plans Texas unit restart by Nov 1: sources
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Citgo Petroleum Corp plans to begin restarting a fire-damaged alkylation unit at its 163,000 barrel per day (bpd) Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery no later than the October 31-November 1 weekend, according to sources familiar with refinery operations.
Repairs on the unit, damaged in a July 19 explosion and fire were completed by Friday. Preparations for restarting the unit began on Saturday.
A Citgo representative was not immediately available to discuss refinery operations.
Depending on how the preparations go, the restart could begin before October 31, but that seems the most likely date, the sources said.
Questions about the safety of the unit after the July explosion have been resolved, the sources said. Questions about safety raised by the United Steelworkers union delayed the restart by two weeks.
One worker was severely injured in the blast and fire. He continues to recover in a San Antonio hospital.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is investigating the Corpus Christi fire as is the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Richard Chang)
