Fire at HF Sinclair refinery in New Mexico under investigation

Photo: HF Sinclair

A fire broke out at HF Sinclair’s refining complex in Artesia, New Mexico, in the late morning of Oct. 31, a company spokesperson confirmed with Biobased Diesel Daily®.

“Three individuals were taken offsite for medical attention,” the spokesperson said. “All personnel were accounted for.”

The fire was extinguished after HF Sinclair initiated its emergency-response plan.

“We conducted air monitoring along the fenceline and within the community, and there was no risk to public safety,” the spokesperson said. “The health and safety of our employees, contractors and communities continue to be our priority.”

A team is investigating the incident and HF Sinclair said it will be working with the appropriate agencies and third parties during the investigation.

HF Sinclair’s Navajo refinery in Artesia operates in conjunction with a refining facility in Lovington, New Mexico, and processes sweet and sour Permian crude oil.

The refinery has a crude-oil capacity of 100,000 barrels per day (bpd), serving markets in the southwestern United States, including New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas.

In 2022, construction was completed on a 9,000 bpd renewable diesel production unit and feedstock pretreatment at the Artesia facility.

“The renewable diesel facility was not impacted [by the fire],” the HF Sinclair spokesperson told Biobased Diesel Daily®.

The mild hydrocracker, however, is currently offline but all other processing units at the facility continue to operate.