Turkey's TÜPRAS Oil Refinery Hit by Fire Resulting from an Explosion

A fire broke out during maintenance work on a compressor, lightly injuring 12 people at TÜPRAS’s Izmit Oil Refinery at Kocaeli, Turkiye. The blaze was swiftly brought under control, and the affected unit was deactivated. Injured workers were transported to a local hospital in Kocaeli province. Despite the incident, the refinery's other operations continued uninterrupted, the company said in a statement.

Apparently, the explosion occurred during a “routine drill” according to local media reports. The site is approximately 100 kms east of Istanbul.

Initial reports indicated an explosion at the site, with video evidence showing smoke billowing from the facility. The specific cause of the explosion and the resulting fire is still being investigated.

Izmit oil refinery is one of the largest and oldest oil refineries in Turkiye. It was initially built to process 1 million tonnes/year crude oil. But over the years with significant capacity modifications, it can now process 11.3 million tonnes/year. 33% of Turkiye’s consumption of petroleum products comes from the Izmit facility.