Engen refinery

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The Engen refinery is a crude oil refinery in Wentworth, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. It is owned by Engen Petroleum and operated from 1954 until a fire in 2020.

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Description

The Engen refinery is a crude oil refinery in Wentworth, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa operated by Engen Petroleum. [1] It produced 120,000 barrels per day and while operational, was the second largest crude oil refinery in Durban, [2] supplying about 17% of the nation's fuel. [3]

The refinery is located in the centre of a residential area. [4] The area around the refineries is colloquially known as "cancer valley" due to the provenience of cancers in the population. [5] [1] Leukaemia rates are 24 times greater than the national average. [1] A 2002 study of the Settlers Primary School next to the refinery found hat 52% of the pupils suffered from asthma. [4]

History

The refinery has been in operation since 1954, [6] making it the oldest refinery in South Africa. [3]

After Engen used the 1993 Regulation of Gatherings Act to ban protests outside the refinery, rights group the Right2Know Campaign took action in the High Court to prohibit such bans. [1] [6]

On 4 December 2020, an explosion at the refinery injured seven people. [2] By April 2021, the refinery had remained closed since the blast. [3] In 2021, Engen announced plans to convert the refinery into a storage facility. [3] In March 2023, those plans were restated. [7]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engen Petroleum</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Harper, Paddy (2020-03-23). "Rights group wins court bid against Engen". The Mail & Guardian . Archived from the original on 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  2. 1 2 "Blast rocks South African oil refinery, seven injured". Reuters. 2020-12-04. Archived from the original on 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "S.Africa's Engen refinery to be converted into a storage terminal". Reuters. 2021-04-23. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  4. 1 2 Leonard, Llewellyn (2020-12-11). "Oil refinery blast is one more reason South Africa should take industrial risks seriously". The Conversation . Archived from the original on 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  5. ↑ Harper, Paddy (2018-06-22). "When the penalty is death". The Mail & Guardian . Archived from the original on 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  6. 1 2 Harper, Paddy (2020-03-19). "Durban smokestacks back in court". The Mail & Guardian . Archived from the original on 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  7. ↑ Lwazi, Hlangu (1 March 2023). "Engen refinery in talks with south Durban community after protest". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-07-26.

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