It could be months before the BP-Husky Toledo oil refinery is repaired and restarted following last month's explosion and fire that killed two BP employees who were brothers, according to a refinery expert and a local union official.
"I can't imagine that this thing will restart until 2023. When in 2023? I don't know," said John Auers, managing director of Refined Fuels Analytics, part of RBN Energy.
He stressed he had no direct knowledge of the recovery timeline, but said the severity of the incident, and the fact it resulted in fatalities, meant an extended investigation and recovery period should be expected. The holidays and start of winter could also complicate when the facility fires back up, Mr. Auers added.
Eric Sweeney, staff representative for International Steelworkers Local 1-346, said there has been talk of restarting in December, though that might be a "rosy outlook."
"How long that [restart] takes probably is determined by the complexity of the issue, and we don't know what that is yet," Mr. Sweeney said, noting investigations are ongoing. He added that the most important priority "from any side is that we figure out what exactly happened, so it doesn't happen again."
The explosion and fire occurred Sept. 20 at the Oregon BP facility, which employs more than 800 and processes up to 160,000 barrels of crude oil daily. It killed Oregon brothers Max and Ben Morrissey, both fathers of young children who were well-known in the community.
Scott Allen, a spokesman for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said his agency continues to investigate and did not have new information this week. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said last week it had also deployed a team to Oregon to investigate.
That board, which investigates incidents that result in releases of hazardous substances, said in a statement that the event had released both sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide and caused "significant property damage." An agency spokesman did not respond to a request for additional details this week.
Oregon Mayor Michael Seferian said he had not heard any particular concerns from nearby residents following the fire. The mayor himself lives in the Eagles Landing neighborhood near the facility.
"The refinery has always been there, so people are accustomed to some of these things," he said. The larger impact, Mr. Seferian said, has been losing two "well-known" and "well-liked" brothers who grew up in Oregon.
"I call the city of Oregon a big, small city," Mr. Seferian said. "A lot of people know a lot of people."
The union employees at the plant have continued showing up to work for their normal shifts, said Mr. Sweeney, ensuring the plant remains maintained and clean during the shutdown.
An unknown number of contract employees were sent home in the aftermath, however employees for at least one major contractor started returning to work in recent days, the mayor said.
"The Toledo refinery remains safely offline, with all non-essential work halted," said Christina Audisho, a BP spokesman. She said the company "has not canceled agreements with third-party contract companies and remains in regular contact with them regarding its ongoing needs at the site."
She did not respond to questions about how many contractors had been temporarily let go or a timeframe for restarting the facility.
BP is in the midst of selling its 50 percent stake in the refinery to Cenovus Energy Inc., of Canada, a $300 million deal, which was initially slated to wrap up by the end of the year. Cenovus has owned the other 50 percent of the refinery since its combination with Husky Energy in 2021.
Mr. Auers, the refinery expert, said he will be surprised if the facility is operational again before the end of the year. Given accidents are more likely when refineries restart, he said BP and federal officials will be especially cautious before giving the green light.
A prolonged shutdown at the facility "adds to an already tight supply-demand environment" for oil in the United States, Mr. Auers said.
That contributes to higher gas prices. Prices have been climbing in Toledo in recent weeks, after steadily dropping since June. They stood at an average of $3.95 as of Wednesday, according to AAA.
First Published October 5, 2022, 10:42 p.m.
