Romania's Petromidia refinery is operating at reduced capacity after an explosion in the area of the vacuum distillation plant, killing 1 worker and injuring another 3, its parent company said on August 23, 2016.
A blast followed by a fire occurred on evening August 22, 2016, on the Petromidia petrochemical platform near Constanta. 2 nitrogen tanks and a petrol pump exploded and the blast was followed by a strong fire, according to the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU). The 112 call came shortly after 6 pm yesterday.
A man has died after a blast at the Petromidia refinery in eastern Romania. 3 other workers who have been wounded in the fire are treated in Bucharest hospitals.
«In this difficult period, we are together with the families of our colleagues. The management of the company was in close contact with their families during the night, as well as with the medics. A team of specialists are analyzing the circumstances that lead to the event, in order to determine the cause of it. Based on the measurements on air emissions, following the fire, there were no recorded values that endanger the lives of employees and communities from the vicinity of the refinery or tourists, fact certified by CBRN analysis (Chemical, Biological, Radiologic and Nuclear parameters),» Kazakhstan's KazMunaiGas International (KMGI) said in a press release.
In May 2016 Romanian prosecutors seized the Petromidia refinery and other assets worth a total 3 billion lei* ($738 mln) belonging to Rompetrol and parent company KazMunayGas as part of an investigation into suspected violations related to the privatisation of the Rompetrol group.
KMGI said at the time it is ready to seek international arbitration against Romania over the seizure.
KMGI has also repeatedly said that its plans in Romania may be impacted significantly by this ongoing investigation.
Following the assets' seizure, Rompetrol Rafinare's shares were suspended from trading on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
In April 2016, China Energy Company Limited, CEFC, signed a memorandum of understanding to buy a 51% stake in state-owned KMGI for $680 million.
In Romania, KMGI operates Petromidia Navodari refinery, with a processing capacity of 5 million tons per year, Vega Ploiesti Refinery – the oldest unit of its kind in operation since 1905, but also a fuels distribution network of over 700 distribution points, 230 LPG stations, 9,000 cylinders distribution points, 3 LPG filling stations and 6 warehouses.
It also owns filling stations in Moldova, Bulgaria and France via Dyneff company. In July, KMGI sold a 51% in Dyneff to CEFC.
KMGI bought a 75% stake in Rompetrol from Dinu Patriciu for around 2.5 billion euro in 2007.
Rompetrol was privatised in 1993 by Management and Employee Buy Out (MEBO) and in 1998 it was bought by a local investor group, lead by Patriciu.
* (1 euro=4.46 lei)
