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A massive power cut across the Iberian peninsula has disrupted operations at several refineries and chemical plants in Spain today.
All five of Repsol's refineries have been forced to shut, a union representative for the company's workers said. This includes the 220,000 Bilbao refinery which is operated by Repsol's Petronor subsidiary.
Crews are in place, securing units at the refineries. "There is sufficient autonomy in all of them to guarantee the safety of the facilities," the union representative said.
Repsol has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Fellow Spanish refiner Moeve said it has also halted activity at its refining and chemical plants in the country and is using back-up power generators "to guarantee the safety and control of the system". Moeve operates the 244,000 b/d Algeciras and 220,000 b/d Huelva refineries. Its 250,000 t/yr San Roque base oils plant is also shutting down.
Chemicals firm Dow said all plants at its Tarragona industrial complex in Spain have been closed.
The longer the power outage lasts, the longer it will take to restart integrated sites. Refineries affected by power outages normally require a 2-3 day restart period. It is unclear yet if any plants have sustained damage.
Spanish transmission system operator (TSO) Red Electrica and relevant government bodies are investigating the cause of the blackout. Red Electrica said power has been restored "at substations in several areas in the north, south and west of the peninsula, and consumers in these areas are beginning to be supplied".
