Viva boss says more refineries needed for secure fuel supply after Geelong fire

The recent fire at Viva Energy's Geelong refinery, one of only two oil refineries in Australia, has understandably caused concern, but the company is moving swiftly to reassure the public and stakeholders. As reported by ABC Australia, CEO Scott Wyatt described the response to the blaze as 'textbook' and, crucially, stated that long-term damage to the refinery's output is not anticipated.

“

We were working through the final details of the cargoes for the first two cargoes the government was asking us to acquire on their behalf.

Wyatt's account, shared on Alan Kohler's podcast, provides a firsthand look at the incident. He was on a call discussing fuel cargoes when the fire broke out late at Wednesday night. Arriving at the site in the early hours, he witnessed the emergency response in full swing. While the fire left the facility looking like a 'war zone' and necessitated a temporary shelter-in-place order for nearby residents, all staff escaped unharmed.

“

And obviously at that point shortly after 11:15pm the call came through … about the fire at the refinery.

Currently, the refinery's production capacity is impaired, operating at 60% for petrol and 80% for diesel and jet fuel. Wyatt explained this is a safety measure while inspections are conducted to allow for a full restart, a process expected over the coming weeks. He stressed that 'the majority of what we produce at Geelong will continue unaffected once we've brought all the units back up to their normal capacity.'

“

I got there about 3 o'clock [in the morning] and then … obviously, by that stage, the response teams were all in place, the incident was being managed, and you know, as you need to do at that point, is obviously start preparing … communications and starting to engage stakeholders.

Beyond the immediate incident, Wyatt used the platform to reiterate Viva Energy's long-standing call for more refineries in Australia to bolster the nation's secure fuel supply. This is a critical point for Australia, which relies heavily on imports for a significant portion of its fuel. The Geelong refinery, along with the Lytton refinery in Brisbane, each supplies about 10% of the country's fuel needs. The incident underscores the vulnerability of relying on a limited number of domestic facilities and the importance of ensuring their operational resilience.

“

It allows us to minimise the number of units in operation, particularly around where the incident occurred.