NEWS RELEASE
Date: November 13, 2023
Media Contacts:
Marc Inouye Nathan Hokama
Director of Government & Public Affairs Strategic Communication Solutions
Par Hawaii Phone: (808) 226-7470
Phone: (808) 382-8163 Email: nhokama@scsolutions-hi.com Email: minouye@parpacific.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Par Hawaii Refinery Update
Kapolei, Hawaii — Par Hawaii’s refinery in Kapolei experienced an interruption in its electrical system yesterday, Nov. 12, at about 8:50 pm. As a precaution, the refinery was systematically and safely shut down.
Par Hawaii’s incident management team was immediately mobilized to respond. The refinery’s inhouse fire brigade was also activated as a precautionary measure. Honolulu Fire Department and Hawaii State Department of Health – Clean Air Branch were also immediately notified.
There were no injuries to employees or contractors.
During the shutdown process, fuel was routed to the refinery’s flare stack as a safety measure. All refineries have a flare stack that burns off fuel. When there is excess fuel routed to the flare stack, this creates a larger, visible flare. This may appear concerning, but the flaring is actually a safety mechanism designed into refineries. Oahu residents in neighboring communities can expect to continue to see flaring this week through the restart process of the refinery units.
The cause of the electrical interruption is under review.
The refinery shutdown does not have an immediate impact to fuel supply for customers. Updates on the status of refinery operations and fuel supply will be provided as the investigation of the incident continues.
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About Par Hawaii
Par Hawaii, which ranked first in the Hawaii Business Top 250 company in terms of revenue, is the state’s leading provider of transportation fuels. It is headquartered in Honolulu and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Houston, Texas-based Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. Par Hawaii owns the state’s only petroleum refinery in Kapolei, Oahu, and is investing $90 million to reconfigure one of the refinery’s processing units to produce plant-based renewable fuels by 2025. Par Hawaii’s statewide fuel distribution system includes pipelines on Oahu and storage facilities on all major neighbor islands. It markets gasolilne, diesel, and biodiesel through its network of 76 and Hele retail stations
throughout Hawaii, and operates the Hele convenience stores. Visit www.ParHawaii.com.