Several oil and gas pipelines in the Los Angeles, California area are “at risk” as multiple large fires break out across the city, industry analysts are warning.
So far, none of the region's five refineries are within direct range of the wildfires, said Andy Lipow, president of Texas-based consultancy Lipow Oil Associates. . said Fox Business said there are several pipelines nearby, some of which have already been shut down.
“We have not heard of any oil or natural gas pipelines being shut down, but in addition to the obvious fire risk, there should also be a loss of power due to the precautions taken by local power companies,” Lipow said. said in a statement.
He founded the company in 2004 to help “oil producers, refiners, and traders” by analyzing industry trends. linkedin and Website state.
The Kinder Morgan West Line, located near the Hearst and Easton fires, has already been shut down due to power outages caused by the fires, but Lipow said the pipeline closure could reduce oil supplies to other states. said.
He explained that five refineries in the Los Angeles area handle 60% of the state's refining capacity, 40% of the total West Coast refining capacity, and Hawaii and Alaska refining capacity.
Kinder Morgan West Line typically supplies about 60 percent of Nevada's refined products and about 66 percent of Arizona's refined products, according to his analysis.
A Kinder Morgan spokesperson said: “The fire has not directly impacted our operations.” guaranteed The Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) announced on Wednesday. “The SFPP West Line has been closed due to a regional power outage. We look forward to resuming service on the line once power is restored.”
Representatives from Chevron and Phillips 66 both told OPIS they are “closely monitoring” wildfires in the area that have been ongoing since Tuesday.
More than 100,000 LA residents still under evacuation According to CNN, authorities have confirmed 11 deaths so far.
