The Hawaiian propane market should regain its footing if one of the state's two refineries returns to service this week. (image: Andy Hahn via flickr.com)
The Hawaiian propane refinery that shut down over mechanical concerns before Christmas should return to service this week, Bloomberg is reporting.
As we wrote about last week, the production delay had some dealers fretting about the supply. A state official discouraged the public from making a run on the gas, while one major propane retailer in the state, The Oil Company, advised customers to conserve the gas.
So the announcement should help to allay lingering shortage concerns. “We’re going to resume pretty much full operation,” a spokesman for Chevron, which owns the processing facility, told Bloomberg.
The plant had been shut down over concerns about a mechanical problem. Hawaiian media say the closing was Dec. 24, Bloomberg says Dec. 19.
The refining facility, which also produces some gasoline and fuel oil, has capacity for 54,000 barrels a day. Tesoro, which operates the state’s other propane refinery, can handle up to 94,000 barrels a day.