Fire breaks out at Shell chemical plant in UK; Essar refinery nearby not affected

A fire that broke out at a Shell-owned chemical plant on the same site as Essar Oil UK’s Stanlow refinery in northwestern England recently has been extinguished, said a report by Reuters.

Essar said that operations at its refinery were unaffected by the fire, the cause of which is currently unclear.

The Shell Higher Olefins Plant (SHOP) is separated from the refinery by a road and rail tracks. Essar operates the chemical plant as well as the refinery.

Operations and production of fuels and other products from Stanlow Refinery were not affected, said the firm, adding that “all supplies to customers are normal”.

At Stanlow, Shell uses ethylene to manufacture polymer, lubricant and detergent intermediates, plasticisers and detergent alcohols.

Essar Oil UK, owned by the Indian billionaire Ruia brothers’ Essar Group, bought the refinery near Ellesmere Port from Shell in 2011. Around 900 people work at the refinery.

“The site produces a range of oil products including about one sixth of Britain’s transport fuels annually – about 4.4 billion litres of diesel, 3 billion litres of petrol and 2 billion litres of jet fuel,” Essar Oil UK’s website said.