A power supply failure this Sunday (28) forced the shutdown of Venezuela’s largest refinery, Amuay, with a capacity of 645,000 barrels per day, according to workers at the unit; This is the second refinery to lose electricity after two fatal earthquakes in the country.
The South American nation has faced difficulties in supplying energy to industrial plants, refineries, companies and the population following the earthquakes, which left at least 1,450 people dead.
Amuay, a key player in the production of fuels for internal distribution, processed around 137 thousand barrels of crude oil per day before the earthquakes.
Water shortages for some power plants and industries in the western state of Falcón, including the refinery, are also affecting operations, some workers reported.
The smaller El Palito refinery, with a capacity of 146,000 barrels per day, and the neighboring Morón Petrochemical Complex, in the central region of the country, were unable to fully resume operations due to instability in the energy supply, according to other sources.
The earthquakes did not affect the country’s crude oil production levels or exports — which generate the majority of revenue — the Ministry of Petroleum said; however, domestic production of fuels and petrochemicals may not be sufficient to meet demand when people return to work after the earthquakes if refineries and related facilities are unable to maintain operations.
Earthquakes left more than 1,400 dead
The rescue takes place as international teams continue to search for survivors after the strong earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that hit Venezuela.
According to the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, the death toll reached 1,450, while 3,150 people were injured and 12,721 were left homeless.
Since Wednesday, the country has recorded 430 aftershocks, with La Guaira concentrating most of the destruction.
More than 1,600 rescuers from different nations have already arrived in the country to reinforce search and rescue operations. Teams from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, United States, Spain, Switzerland, Ecuador, Chile, Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador participate in the work.
(With information from Mauricio Torres, from CNN in Spanish)
