Australia says refinery fire may hit petrol production more than diesel, jet fuel

Published Thu, Apr 16, 2026 · 06:17 AM

[SYDNEY] Australia said on Thursday the fire at Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery in southern Australia may impact more on petrol production than diesel and jet fuel.

“At this point, production of diesel and jet fuel does continue and no reason to believe at this point that there is need to stop that. The impact on petrol … it may be impacted for some time,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen told ABC News.

The blaze was reported at around 11 pm local time, the police said. The plant in the state of Victoria can process 120,000 barrels a day of oil and is one of only two refineries still operating in the country, according to the firm’s website.

Australia’s petroleum product supplies have already come under severe pressure from the fallout of the Iran war.

Prices at the pump have surged, and the government has been taking steps to reduce the impact for consumers. Any further disruption to Australia’s fuel supplies is likely to put additional upward pressure on prices — although the immediate impact of the blaze is not yet clear.

The refinery, which is in the Corio area, supplies more than 50 per cent of Victoria’s fuel and 10 per cent of Australia’s, according to Viva’s website.

“People in the surrounding areas are being asked to stay indoors with their windows closed due to the large amount of smoke,” the police statement said.

Viva Energy did not respond to a request for comment sent outside of normal office hours. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS