CommoditiesMedium•7 October 2026•
1 min read
Venezuela's Cardon Refinery Shuts Down Following Gas Line Explosion
Key Facts
1Venezuela's second-largest refinery, Cardon, halted operations following an explosion in a gas line connected to its diesel hydrotreater.
2The refinery has a capacity of 310,000 barrels per day and is part of the Paraguana Refining Center operated by state-owned PDVSA.
Venezuela's second-largest refinery, Cardon, halted operations following an explosion in a gas line connected to its diesel hydrotreater. Reuters reported that the incident forced a total shutdown of the 310,000 barrels per day facility. The refinery is a key component of the Paraguana Refining Center operated by state-owned PDVSA.
The shutdown follows years of underinvestment and deferred maintenance that have left Venezuelan refineries in poor condition. While the Paraguana complex is among the world's largest, it has historically operated at a fraction of its total capacity due to recurring equipment failures. Emergency teams were deployed to control the fire resulting from the explosion at the state-operated facility.