Quito (Platts)--17Jan2011/654 pm EST/2354 GMT
The 20,000 b/d Shushufindi refining complex operated by Ecuador state energy company Petroecuador is partially offline after an explosion, the company said Monday in a prepared statement. The explosing and subsequent fire happened late Sunday at approximately 9 pm Eastern time when the refinery one plant was restarted following a power outage. Residual gas ignited, causing the explosion, the company added. The extent of the damage is as yet unclear, and the company can't yet say when the facility might be restarted. It's the second time in less than six weeks that a significant refining incident ocurred in the country. On Dec. 10, an explosion at the 100,000-b/d Esmeraldas refinery, Ecuador's biggest, left three workers injured. Shushufindi's refinery two is operating normally and there were no casualties in Sunday's blast, Petroecuador said. It is working to make sure fuel stocks don't run out in Ecuador's oil-producing Amazon region, which Shushufindi supplies with low-octane gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.-Stephan Kueffner, newsdesk@platts.comSimilar stories appear in Oilgram News. See more information at http://bit.ly/OilgramNews