Australia’s Viva Energy said on Monday it expects to resume operations at key units of its Geelong Refinery in June, following a fire that disrupted production in mid-April. The company indicated repairs to the residue catalytic cracking unit (RCCU) would take about six weeks to complete.
The fire, which occurred on April 15 at the Geelong site one of only two refineries in Australia significantly impacted petrol output. The disruption came at a time when the country was already facing fuel supply pressures linked to global shortages triggered by the Iran conflict.
Viva Energy noted that repair and restart processes are progressing without major obstacles, adding that investigations into the cause of the incident and damage assessments are ongoing. The company emphasized that no impediments have been identified so far in the recovery timeline.
Once the RCCU is operational, production at the refinery is expected to exceed 90% of its capacity, helping stabilise domestic fuel supply. The company’s shares dipped slightly by 0.8% to A$2.48 in early trading following the update.