Indorama Ventures reported a transformer explosion and a subsequent fire near its plant in Port Neches on Tuesday at around 8 PM. Indorama also noted that the explosion did not lead to any injuries nor danger to the surrounding community. The Port Neches Fire Department and Indorama’s onsite fire brigade responded immediately after the incident.
The explosion forced some units in the complex to be taken offstream due to power outages. However, Indorama spokesperson Krystal Medlock said units are back online or in the restarting process. Medlock also noted that there had been no off-site effects during the outage or unit recoveries.
The transformer is located in a Substation bulk distribution yard managed by Entergy, which supplies electrical power to Port Neches and Groves, including Indorama’s plants. Entergy also deployed its response team to restore the power distribution, Entergy said the transformer failed and caused the blast. However, the cause of the failure remains under investigation.
Indorama Ventures acquired some plants in Port Neches from Huntsman for $2 billion in 2019. Indorama’s assets in Port Neches include a 235,867 tons/year mixed-feed cracker, a 1 million tons/year EO/MEG unit, and a PO/MTBE plant.
