Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja has asked Rompetrol to implement a comprehensive and well-structured investment plan to increase safety.
The Energy chief’s reaction comes after a fire broke out in the Mild Hydrocracking (MHC) facility at Petromidia on Friday morning, even though the refinery’s operational activity was not affected.
“Fortunately, today’s incident was isolated and very quickly addressed by the responsible structures, with minimal damage and no casualties. Unfortunately, I note that such problems periodically occur at the facilities managed by Rompetrol Rafinare. The company has a new management, with recent date, and I publicly demand urgent measures to resolve all deficiencies. I am convinced that, by implementing a well-structured investment plan and by strictly adhering to safety procedures, we can significantly reduce the risk of such incidents and ensure a safe working environment for all employees”, Burduja stated, in the press release quoted by Agerpres.
The Minister of Energy believes that the investment plan of S.C. Rompetrol Rafinare S.A. must contain the following mandatory elements: assessment of the existing infrastructure (a thorough analysis of the installations, equipment and safety systems to identify vulnerabilities and high-risk areas), modernization and replacement of equipment, respectively investments in modern technologies and advanced safety systems, including fire detectors, alarm systems, sprinklers and high-performance fire extinguishing equipment, improvement of the maintenance plan by developing a rigorous preventive maintenance plan, which should include periodic checks, testing and repairs to ensure the optimal functioning of all equipment and systems.
At the same time, investment must be made in staff training, by organizing regular training sessions to familiarize employees with safety procedures, the use of fire-fighting equipment and how to react in emergency situations, and periodic fire simulations must be carried out to test the effectiveness of evacuation plans and assess the staff’s response capacity in the event of a fire.