An explosion and subsequent fire occurred Wednesday at teh Petrocedeño oil processing plant in Venezuela‘s Anzoátegui state, Reuters reported, citing sources within Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the state-owned oil company to which Petrocedeño belongs. Workers were evacuated as a precaution, and emergency services responded to the scene. No injuries have been reported so far.
The incident at the plant, located in the Orinoco Belt – Venezuela’s primary oil-producing region – is significant because Petrocedeño plays a crucial role in upgrading Venezuela’s heavy crude oil into a form suitable for export. Disruptions to this process could impact the country’s oil production and export capacity, particularly as Venezuela seeks to increase revenue through oil sales. CNN has reached out to the Government of Anzoátegui and PDVSA for further details.
The explosion took place in the afternoon, generating flames and a column of smoke visible near a distillation tower within the oil upgrading complex. The affected plant is vital for processing crude oil from the Orinoco Belt.
Local media reported the arrival of emergency services to contain the fire and assess the damage.As of wednesday evening, authorities had not yet released a statement regarding the cause of the explosion or the extent of the damage.