Venezuela's Moron Petrochemical Complex Restarts After Quake Shutdown

Venezuela's Moron Petrochemical Complex resumed operations following a shutdown caused by quakes, which resulted in over 160 casualties. While the infrastructure largely remained intact, assessments are ongoing. The Moron Complex's workers were initially advised not to report due to damage evaluations, and a storage tank leak was identified.

Venezuela's Moron Petrochemical Complex, the nation's second-largest operational facility, restarted its activities on Thursday. The resumption follows a preventive closure triggered by recent earthquakes that inflicted damage on the infrastructure, according to local firefighting chief Carlos Miquileno.

Preliminary reports indicated that despite the seismic activity claiming over 160 lives, Venezuela's oil infrastructure, including the El Palito refinery in Carabobo, was largely unaffected. However, ongoing assessments and repairs continue as workers cautiously return to their posts.

A noticeable leak from a storage tank on the complex was detected, with further details on the repair status yet to be disclosed by state entities Pequiven and PDVSA. Meanwhile, power is expected to be restored from the central region's Planta Centro by Thursday.