Two of the country’s leading oil refineries severely affected by Tuesday night’s heavy downpour in Durban expect to be fully operational this weekend.
Due to the rainstorm, at least 40% of the Engen refinery was non-operational over the past 48 hours, while the nearby Sapref (Shell and BP South African petroleum refinery) plant was completely shut down.
At the time, Engen spokesperson Herb Payne said electronics in the plant’s boiler room had been shut down after the unit was flooded.
Sapref’s Margaret Rowe said water had tripped heating boilers and seeped into other equipment.
On Friday, Rowe said it is believed a lightning strike may have been the cause of the trip, but ”that’s still under investigation”.
Engen, meanwhile, was 80% operational by Friday morning, while Sapref’s start-up was 60% complete.
”We have now gone up to 80% production and by tomorrow [Saturday] we expect to be ready for full production,” Payne said.
However, a pump used for transferring crude oil will only be repaired on Monday. ”But, in terms of production, I don’t think this would have an impact,” he said.
Rowe said the restarting phase will take a few days. ”Sapref expects production to be back to normal by Sunday March 16.”
Meanwhile, Durban’s disaster-management team and city officials are calculating the cost of damage caused during the downpour, which affected hospitals, courts, homes, shacks, railway lines, buildings, roads, storm water lines, and electrical systems and sub-stations.
Damages will, according to some officials, run into millions of rands. — Sapa