Jefferson County authorities on Tuesday said there is no evidence the recent explosion at Valero Energy Corp's Port Arthur refinery was caused by an intentional act. Donta Miller, the chief deputy for the sheriff's office, stated plainly that the incident is not being treated as a deliberate criminal investigation.
The event occurred Monday night within a diesel hydrotreater unit at the Port Arthur complex, and the force of the blast was reported as far away as 11 miles (18 km) by individuals familiar with operations at the plant. In response to the incident, Valero took the refinery offline to halt the flow of hydrogen or hydrocarbons that could otherwise continue to fuel the blaze.
Hydrotreaters, the unit where the explosion occurred, use hydrogen to remove sulfur from motor fuel feedstocks so the finished fuels meet U.S. environmental requirements. That role places the unit at the center of fuel desulfurization processes and underscores why operators acted quickly to stop hydrogen and hydrocarbon feeds.
Valero confirmed on Tuesday that there were no reported injuries related to the explosion and that all personnel at the facility were accounted for following the event. The Port Arthur refinery is located 86 miles (139 km) east of Houston.
Authorities emphasized that, at this stage, their investigation has not turned up indications of a deliberate act. The decision by Valero to shut down operations was described as a safety measure designed to prevent additional material from feeding the fire, specifically the hydrogen or hydrocarbon streams associated with the hydrotreater.
Information released so far focuses on immediate safety and damage-control steps - containment of combustible feeds and accounting for personnel - rather than on causes beyond what officials have stated about the ongoing inquiry. Additional details about the origin of the blast or the timeline for restarting refinery operations were not provided in the statements shared by law enforcement or the company.
Location: Valero Energy Corp refinery, Port Arthur, Texas - 86 miles east of Houston.
Unit affected: Diesel hydrotreater.
Immediate actions: Refinery shutdown to stop hydrogen or hydrocarbon flow; personnel accounted for; no injuries reported.