WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The largest refinery in the United States has shut down in response to flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, Motiva Enterprises said on Wednesday.
"Motiva began a controlled shutdown of the Port Arthur refinery in response to increasing local flood conditions. Return to service is contingent upon recession of flood waters in the area. Our main priority remains the safety of our employees and community," the statement said.
The Port Arthur refinery has a capacity of more than 600,000 barrels per day, according to Saudi Aramco, which took full ownership of Motiva Enterprises and its facilities on May 1.
Texas' infrastrucure has heavily suffered due to Hurricane Harvey, which is currently moving eastward from the state toward Louisiana, causing heavy floods. According to the latest data on the death toll as a result of the storm, 30 people lost their lives amid the largest hurricane in the US after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
