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Utopia of Fools's avatar

Even outside of the Iranian and Ukranian conflicts, that is an extrordinary number of carbon based energy assets around the globe that have had unfortunate accidents in recent times. Most curious.

Joel Jenkins's avatar

I thought so too. Thanks.

Ricky's avatar

Exhaustive List of Hydrocarbon & Major Energy Incidents (Non-Middle East)

15 Apr 2026

Viva Energy Geelong Refinery

Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Significant fire & explosions

One of Australia's two remaining refineries; impact under assessment.

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14 Apr 2026

Vedanta Sakti Plant

Chhattisgarh, India

Massive boiler explosion

16-19 fatalities reported; dozens injured.

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09 Apr 2026

Pemex Olmeca Refinery

Dos Bocas, Mexico

Fire in coke storage area

Second fire in a month; limited to storage unit.

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07 Apr 2026

Bhilai Steel Power Plant-2

Chhattisgarh, India

Turbine explosion & massive fire

7+ injuries; workers seen jumping from buildings to escape.

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04 Apr 2026

Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez

Kstovo, Russia

Drone strike and fire

Strike on crude distillation unit; significant throughput reduction.

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03 Apr 2026

ONGC Mumbai High Platform

Offshore Mumbai, India

Sudden fire on SHP platform

10 workers injured; operations briefly suspended.

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03 Apr 2026

Primorsk Port Infrastructure

Leningrad, Russia

Multiple drone/air strikes

Fires at major oil export terminal and storage depots.

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23 Mar 2026

Valero Port Arthur Refinery

Texas, USA

Severe explosion & fire

Diesel hydrotreater and central control room destroyed.

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12 Mar 2026

LyondellBasell Bayport Plant

Texas, USA

Major industrial fire

Targeted hydrocarbon feedstock processing units.

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05 Mar 2026

Petromax Refining

Channelview, Texas, USA

Pump seal failure & fire

Quick containment; minimal offsite impact.

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01 Mar 2026

Esmeraldas Refinery

Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Fire in SEVIA unit charge pumps

60-day state of emergency declared due to infrastructure damage.

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Jeff Nestor's avatar

Great article Joel. “The method in the madness” saying sure comes to mind sure stand up after watching Medhurdt’s short doco. I’ve sent it to everyone I know.

“You couldn’t make this shit up” is another saying that comes to mind. … but here we are. Plenty of food for thought eh.

Directly or indirectly, this also. solidifies the anti climate change stance of Trump et al and starts to look like a win/ win scenario.

As a late great friend used to say “Man is a cunning beast” Cheers.

Niemoller's Ghost's avatar

Nations that lose their humanity deserve Boycott, Divestment and Sanction. If Israel and USA double down by trying to persecute the international justice system (as they have done), then they deserve the strongest sanctions, including the loss of all trade, except humane aid. Who will join the Hague Group for justice?

Rita Jabri Markwell's avatar

Great analysis and writing thank you

Joel Jenkins's avatar

You do great work yourself, appreciate the support :)

Nefelia's avatar

The US is pursuing a sabotage-and-control strategy over the 20th century energy ecosystem while China is busy building and defining the 21st century energy ecosystem.

The absolute stupidity of US strategic planning never fails to astonish me.

ChatterX's avatar

It’s a gangster. It has been called a gangster state, for just such reasons. And other countries are afraid of what the United States can do, not only under Trump, but what it has been doing for the last 50 years. It is simply confiscating, and destabilizing, and overthrowing.

The US has basically declared war against any attempt to create an international trade and investment system that the Alglo-murican Oligarchy does not control, in its own self-interest, wanting all of the earnings from it, all of the revenue from it, not just part of it.

It’s a greedy empire.

ChatterX's avatar

Throughout their colonial history Europeans (esp. Brits and French) used the same "Divide and Conquer" strategy to have other nations fight each other for the benefit of the Imperialist Oligarchy.

youtube.com/watch?v=rbsfynApnVg

And the best way to analyze how the U.S. operates is to remember how it was created in the first place.

As the European powers were realizing that direct conflict with each other was becoming counterproductive, they conspired to create a pirate colony of which they would all benefit. There were some bitter fights over the arrangement, but it is still part of the European style of Empire.

That's why the U.S. is more like a Corporation than a Country.. That's why the orange clown presents himself as a CEO, bragging about "good deals".

USrael Inc.