Durban’s Engen oil refinery was shut down on Wednesday morning after a power failure, an Engen spokesperson said.
Herb Payne said the refinery shut down automatically as a result of the power failure. The shut-down resulted in a huge plume of black smoke being sent ”into the atmosphere”.
He said the refinery was liaising with ”all affected parties, including school, city health and the community”.
The refinery is located near the suburbs of Wentworth and Austerville as well as Durban International airport.
A mere 20 minutes after the power failure, the ”shut down refinery was stabilised by 7.45am and the smoke stopped”.
Payne was not sure what had caused the power failure.
”We are going through the process of reassessing the refinery before starting her up again. This is unlikely to affect supplies unless there is some damage [to the refinery]. We are still assessing if there was any damage.”
The eThekwini Municipality spokesperson for electricity could not be reached for comment. — Sapa