Petron goes on 35-day shutdown

LIMAY, Bataan – The Petron Bataan Refinery was forced to go on 35-day shutdown starting May 1 following the strong earthquake that affected Central Luzon and Metro Manila last April 22.
Petron, however, assured customers that the country’s largest oil refinery “have ample inventory to supply our domestic requirements.”
Kai Palaganas, media relations officer of Petron’s corporate affairs division, disclosed in a text message that the impact of the earthquake triggered protective tripping of certain refinery facilities resulting in the emergency shutdown.

This was followed by flaring of gases which is an important safety measure in refinery facilities, said Palaganas.
In its official statement, Petron noted that even prior to the disaster, the refinery was already preparing for its regular maintenance schedule that shall commence on May 1.
Petron, which has a refining capacity of 180,000 barrels per stream day, is currently the country’s biggest, and it supplies both the domestic and export markets.
The refinery has also been blueprinted for expansion on its capacity that could elevate that to 270,000 to 300,000 barrels per day.