Engen refinery
The Engen refinery is a crude oil refinery in Wentworth, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. It is owned by Engen Petroleum and operated from 1954 until a fire in 2020.
Description
The Engen refinery is a crude oil refinery in Wentworth, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa operated by Engen Petroleum. It produced 120,000 barrels per day and while operational, was the second largest crude oil refinery in Durban, supplying about 17% of the nation's fuel.The refinery is located in the centre of a residential area. The area around the refineries is colloquially known as "cancer valley" due to the provenience of cancers in the population. Leukaemia rates are 24 times greater than the national average. A 2002 study of the Settlers Primary School next to the refinery found hat 52% of the pupils suffered from asthma.
History
The refinery has been in operation since 1954, making it the oldest refinery in South Africa.After Engen used the 1993 Regulation of [Gatherings Act, 1993|Regulation of Gatherings Act] to ban protests outside the refinery, rights group the Right2Know Campaign took action in the High Court to prohibit such bans.
On 4 December 2020, an explosion at the refinery injured seven people. By April 2021, the refinery had remained closed since the blast. In 2021, Engen announced plans to convert the refinery into a storage facility. In March 2023, those plans were restated.