Australia’s Viva Energy Group has announced a temporary shutdown of its Geelong Refinery on January 10 following a power outage caused by a lightning storm that struck the region over the weekend. The unexpected power disruption led to an unscheduled shutdown of all refinery units, forcing the facility to halt production.

The Geelong refinery, which processes up to 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, is a critical component of the country’s energy infrastructure. It supplies over 50% of Victoria’s fuel needs and accounts for approximately 10% of the nation’s total fuel production. Despite the shutdown, Viva Energy has assured the public that there will be no significant disruption to fuel supply in the market.

In a statement released on Friday, the company confirmed that it is actively working to restart the refinery and return to normal production levels. The restart process is already underway, but it is expected to take one to two weeks for full operations to resume. Viva Energy also emphasized that while the outage was an unfortunate incident, the refinery’s shutdown is temporary and is not expected to impact fuel availability in the short term.

Viva Energy’s Geelong Refinery is one of the largest and most important refineries in the region. The facility plays a vital role in ensuring that fuel is consistently supplied to not only the state of Victoria but also to other parts of Australia. It is responsible for refining a wide range of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The refinery also serves as a major supplier to various industries, from transport to agriculture, and contributes significantly to Australia’s energy security.

Viva Energy has stated that it is committed to restoring production at the Geelong refinery as soon as possible and is working closely with its teams to ensure a smooth and efficient restart process. The company also reassured customers and stakeholders that it has adequate plans in place to minimize any supply chain impacts from the temporary shutdown.

While the lightning storm that triggered the power outage is being described as a rare event, the situation highlights the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure to extreme weather events. Australia has faced an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms and other weather-related disruptions in recent years due to climate change, which has raised concerns about the resilience of key infrastructure in the face of such events.