Damage from CVR Wynnewood refinery fire in late April limited to pipe racks, pumps in naphtha-processing area

CVR Energy Inc. released information May 14 regarding a fire that took place at its Wynnewood, Oklahoma, refinery, where the company has been producing renewable diesel since 2022.

The fire took place in late April, one day before the company released its first-quarter 2024 financials.

The fire was extinguished shortly after it started, no employees or contractors were injured and the operations at the Coffeyville Refinery in Kansas were not impacted by the fire, according to CVR Energy.

“After further assessment of this incident, it was determined the damages were limited to pipe racks and pumps in the area of the naphtha-processing units,” the company reported.

Damage to the pipe rack impacted service to other units.

One crude unit, the fluid catalytic cracker and the alkylation unit have been restarted and a reformer is in the process of starting up as of May 14, the company stated.

CVR Energy said at this time it does not expect the fire to have a material impact to its overall financial position.

Management expects that operations should return to normal by the end of the second quarter.

The renewable diesel unit at the Wynnewood refinery had total vegetable oil throughput of approximately 6.9 million gallons in the first quarter, down from 22.4 million gallons in the first quarter of 2023.

The decrease was primarily due to a catalyst change at the renewable diesel unit during the three-month period early this year.