Intermittent flaring possible at Martinez refinery after electrical issue affected operations

By Jose Fabian

Occasional flaring is expected at the Martinez refinery on Monday,  Contra Costa Health said.

The Martinez Refining Company said intermittent flaring may happen as employees “return the refinery to planned rates” after an internal electrical issue affected operations.

The electrical issue happened just before 11 a.m., and around the same time, Contra Costa Health said it received multiple complaints from Benicia and Martinez residents about a “strong odor.”

Contra Costa Health said it did not detect any public health risk that would require the community to act. The refinery company said it would be investigating the electrical issue.

“We will investigate the root cause of the incident and identify corrective actions,” the company said.

Contra Costa Health said it requested a 72-hour report about the incident from the Martinez Refining Company. That report will be posted to the CCH website.