'1 Dead, 9 Injured' S-Oil Ulsan Plant Explosion... CEO to Hold Press Conference at 11 AM (Comprehensive)

S-Oil Ulsan Plant Fire Continues for 10 Hours... Firefighters Battle Overnight
CEO to Hold Press Conference at Ulsan Plant Lobby at 11 AM

On the afternoon of the 19th, a large fire broke out due to an explosion at the S-Oil Ulsan Plant in Onsan Industrial Complex, Ulju-gun, Ulsan City, and the fire authorities are conducting firefighting operations. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Firefighting efforts at the S-Oil Ulsan refinery fire have been ongoing for nearly 11 hours.

According to the Ulsan Fire Department on the 20th, following the explosion and fire accident that occurred around 8:51 PM on the 19th, the fire authorities issued a Level 2 response and have been continuing firefighting operations for over 11 hours. So far, the accident has resulted in 10 casualties, including 1 death, 4 critically injured, and 5 with minor injuries. Most of the victims have been confirmed as burn patients.

The reason the flames have been difficult to control at the site appears to be due to the highly flammable butane. The accident occurred during the manufacturing process of 'alkylate,' an additive that raises the octane rating of gasoline using butane. The initial explosion is presumed to have happened during a test run after emergency repairs on a malfunctioning butane compression valve.

The fire authorities are spraying water mainly on the butane storage tanks and connected pipelines to cool the tanks. However, due to butane's high flammability, it is believed that complete extinguishment will only be possible after burning off all the butane remaining inside the tanks and pipelines rather than simply putting out the fire.

The plant where the accident occurred produces 9,200 barrels of alkylate per day. S-Oil completed the facility in 2009 with a total investment of 150 billion KRW.

S-Oil has decided to hold a press conference regarding the accident. Hussein Al-Qahtani, S-Oil's CEO, will make a statement in the lobby of the Ulsan plant at 11 AM on the same day. The conference is expected to include an apology for the accident, promises to prevent recurrence, and countermeasures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.