A massive winter storm that swept the US over the weekend crippled oil and gas producers and the industrial plants that refine the raw commodities into everything from gasoline to plastics.
Refinery flares lit up the Houston Ship Channel late Sunday and into Monday morning as a cold front hit the Texas coast and plunged temperatures below freezing. Plants operated by INEOS, Pemex, Shell and LyondellBasell all reported flaring gases, a common safety measure when severe weather causes operational disruptions.
Several plants, including ExxonMobil’s Baytown mega refinery and Goodyear’s Bayport chemicals facility, curtailed operations Saturday ahead of the freeze. The waterway connecting Houston’s refineries to crude imports and global export markets for their products closed Saturday as the cold front approached and partially re-opened Monday morning…