Fire Shuts Down Venezuela's 310,000-BPD Cardon Oil Refinery

A major fire broke out at one of the processing units of Venezuela's Cardon refinery, forcing an immediate and complete operational shutdown of the nation's second-largest oil refining facility. Emergency response teams were dispatched to contain the blaze, but the operational disruption has taken the facility entirely offline.

The Cardon refinery boasts a crude processing capacity of approximately 310,000 barrels per day (bpd). Industry sources confirmed that operations ceased immediately to prevent catastrophic damage across adjacent units. Although initial assessments indicate no reported fatalities, technicians and safety inspectors are currently assessing the extent of structural damage to critical distillation and conversion infrastructure.

Cardon forms a pivotal component of the massive Paraguana Refining Complex (CRP), one of the largest refining networks in the world alongside the nearby Amuay facility. In recent years, Venezuela's state-run oil company, PDVSA, has struggled with chronic operational instability, frequent accidents, and prolonged maintenance backlogs stemming from underinvestment and international trade sanctions.

The unexpected closure of Cardon is expected to severely tighten Venezuela's domestic fuel supplies, potentially triggering fresh gasoline shortages across the country. PDVSA engineers face significant hurdles in expediting repairs, as ongoing shortages of replacement parts and specialized equipment continue to complicate refinery operations throughout the national energy grid.