Series of Fires At Oil and Gas Sites Raise World Safety Concerns (Worthy News Investigation)
Key Facts
- A wave of refinery and gas-plant fires across the U.S., Europe, and Asia this month highlights growing global risks to critical energy infrastructure amid aging systems and geopolitical tensions.
- Major incidents include explosions at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery in California, MOL’s Danube Refinery in Hungary, and a Gazprom gas plant in Russia — some linked to drone strikes and cross-border attacks.
- Experts warn that the rapid transition toward renewable energy is straining existing oil and gas facilities, with safety systems and maintenance falling behind modernization needs.
- The International Energy Agency cautions that under-investment and political instability could trigger a decade of recurring industrial shocks unless oversight and resilience improve.
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BUDAPEST/LOS ANGELES (Worthy News) – A string of fires and explosions at oil refineries and natural gas-processing plants this month has underscored what experts describe as a growing global risk to critical energy infrastructure amid aging equipment, industrial stress, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
At the same time, energy experts warn that the world’s rapid transition toward alternative energy sources could add short-term pressure to existing oil and gas infrastructure
One of the most serious incidents occurred on October 2 at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles, California, where an explosion ripped through a jet-fuel processing unit. The blaze, visible for miles kilometers), sent thick black smoke over the Pacific coast before firefighters brought it under control.
The unit, which converts heavy oil into jet fuel, produces an estimated 40 percent of aviation fuel consumed in southern California and around a fifth of the region’s motor gasoline.
Officials said all workers were safely accounted for. While investigators have not yet determined the cause, the fire raised fresh fears over the vulnerability of California’s isolated fuel network.
HUNGARY’S DANUBE REFINERY ON FIRE
On October 20, a fire broke out at MOL Group’s Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary — the nation’s only major crude-processing plant.
The blaze was quickly contained, and no injuries were reported, but operations were temporarily halted in several units while damage assessments continued.
MOL said the fire’s origin was still under investigation but found “no immediate evidence of external tampering.”
The refinery is a key supplier for Central Europe and processes mainly Russian crude oil under European Union exemptions.
RUSSIAN GAS PLANT STRUCK
On October 19, a massive fire erupted at a gas-processing plant in Russia’s Orenburg region, operated by Gazprom.
Regional authorities said Ukrainian drones had targeted the site, causing explosions that forced a partial shutdown.
The facility handles gas condensate from fields including Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak project. No casualties were reported, though Moscow acknowledged “temporary disruptions.”
The October fires followed a series of refinery and gas-site accidents this year.
DEADLY BLAZE IN IRAN
In July, a blaze at Iran’s Abadan Refinery killed one worker and injured several others after a pump leak ignited. In April, an explosion along a natural-gas pipeline near Malaysia’s Putra
Heights injured around 150 people and damaged hundreds of homes.
In September, a flash fire at CITGO’s refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana, injured four workers.
It emerged while Russia’s oil and gas sectorfaced repeated attacks or accidents at refineries in Kstovo, Ufa, and Volgograd, often linked to cross-border strikes during the war in Ukraine.
SAFETY, SUPPLY, AND ENERGY POLICY
Industrial-safety groups say the frequency of refinery fires and gas leaks has increased in several regions, especially the United States and parts of Eastern Europe.
Analysts cite aging infrastructure, conversion of units for biofuel production, and reduced maintenance budgets as contributing factors.
Geopolitical instability has compounded those risks.
Drone strikes, sabotage, and cyber-attacks on energy installations have risen sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Also, the rapid transition toward alternative energy sources in many nationa could add short-term pressure to existing oil and gas infrastructure, according to energy experts. As more facilities are retrofitted to process biofuels or hydrogen, safety systems are being stretched — and regulators are struggling to keep pace with new technological risks.
ALTERNATIVE-ENERGY TRANSITION RISKS
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its recent analysis, while renewable-energy expansion is proceeding rapidly, fossil-fuel infrastructure still handles more than 80 percent of the world’s primary energy flow.
The agency flags that “under-investment in maintenance, combined with political and physical threats, could result in a decade marked by recurring industrial shocks” unless safety oversight and modernization accelerate.
Adding to the complexity, the IEA reported that many oil and gas groups are spending roughly US$500 billion annually just to maintain current production levels, highlighting the scale of investment needed even as the energy transition advances.
Political voices have weighed in on the debate: during a visit to Scotland, Donald J. Trump told European leaders, “Stop the windmills. You’re ruining your countries. … You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds.” His comments underline how alternative-energy infrastructure itself is becoming a flashpoint in the broader energy debate.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CAUSENG CONCERN
Yet critics supporting a green agenda, say that beyond operational and market effects, refinery and gas-plant fires release vast quantities of pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Methane leaks from damaged pipelines or condensate tanks are particularly harmful, concerned experts warned.
The combined environmental footprint of ageing fossil-fuel systems and emerging transition risks is increasingly under scrutiny by communities, regulators, and investors alike.
The 2025 timeline of refinery and gas-facility accidents — stretching from California to Central Europe and the Middle East — reveals a troubling pattern of vulnerability, experts argue.
LESSONS OF ENERGY CRISIS
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, has warned that “the lessons of the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have not yet been fully understood, and the world’s energy infrastructure remains exposed to major technical accidents, natural disasters, and geopolitical tensions.”
He added that “whether caused by neglect, conversion-strain, or conflict, these facilities remain the backbone of the global energy system — and their resilience is under pressure.”
Energy analysts interviewed by Worthy News say the message is clear: the combination of ageing fossil-fuel infrastructure, the strain of the energy transition, and rising geopolitical hazard makes the world’s energy-processing network more “fragile than we realise.”
(This is a Worthy News Watch presentation, part of a World in Peril series to inform the Church about environmental challenges in these end times. With reporting from Los Angeles, Budapest, international agencies, and Worthy News Research.)
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