An unexpected disruption occurred at the petrochemical plant at the OMV Schwechat refinery near Vienna on Tuesday morning. As a result of the outage, high-flare operation, in which excess gases are burned in a controlled manner, was initiated as an immediate safety measure. OMV confirmed the incident and stated that it is working intensively to resume regular operations.
The sight of the unusually high flames from the flares caused concern among the public and passersby, prompting a major fire alarm. However, a fire department spokesperson later clarified that this was a false alarm, as the flames observed were due to routine flare-outs during the flare operation. Air traffic at the nearby Vienna-Schwechat Airport was not affected by the disruption.
With a processing capacity of 9,6 million tons of crude oil per year, the Schwechat refinery is OMV's largest refinery. In addition to various fuels, the plant also produces kerosene, which is transported directly to the airport via a pipeline. High-altitude flare operation is a common safety measure in refineries to prevent uncontrolled gas releases in the event of operational disruptions or pressure fluctuations.
The cause of the disruption at the petrochemical plant was initially unknown. OMV stated that it is working diligently to resolve the problem and restore regular operations as quickly as possible. No impact on the fuel supply was initially reported, but extended downtime at the petrochemical plant could potentially impact the production of certain basic chemicals.
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