GS Caltex closes plant on power outage

Published : Jan 17, 2011 - 20:03 Updated : Jan 17, 2011 - 20:03

GS Caltex Co., Korea‘s second-largest refiner, said Monday that it had shut down all of its crude distillation units and its No.1 residue fluid catalytic cracker in the southern part of the country due to power failure.

Power at the Yeosu complex was cut off at 4:10 p.m. local time and resumed 23 minutes later, according to the official

“The affected facilities could not restart within today, though power was restored after 23 minutes of blackouts at our facilities in Yeosu,” a GS Caltex official said.

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik (fourth from left) and other officials inspect the Korea Power Exchange in southern Seoul to look into power shortages on Monday. (Yonhap News)

Yeosu is an industrial complex located 455 kilometers south of Seoul.

The extent of the damage from the power outage has yet to be tallied, but GS Caltex may suffer huge losses, the refiner said.

The CDUs have a maximum capacity of 760,000 barrels per day, while the RFCC has a capacity of 94,000 barrels per day, the spokesperson said.

(From news reports)