Oct. 3, 2005: Energy Impacts From Hurricane Rita Remain Uncertain
WASHINGTON - While petrochemical companies are breathing a sigh of relief that the on-shore impacts of Hurricane Rita weren't as bad as they had feared, the full impact of the hurricane on U.S. energy production remains unclear.
In terms of refineries, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) reports that 21 Texas refineries were shut down during the storm, and although most are now coming back on-line, at least one - a Port Arthur, Texas, refinery owned by Valero Corp. - is reporting significant damage and does not expect to be back on-line for two weeks to a month. Valero does not expect power to be restored for about a month in Port Arthur, the location of two other refineries.