Unipetrol held a planned emergency exercise at the new polyethylene unit, PE3, in Chempark Litvínov. The PE3 is the highest-ever investment in the history of the Czech chemical industry. It produces modern, high-density polyethylene and is a crucial production facility of the Unipetrol Group. The tactical emergency training put the existing emergency plan to the test. It also verified the activities of the emergency units during a simulated isobutane leak and subsequent fire.
The Unipetrol Group has recently completed the construction of the polyethylene unit, PE3. The capital expenditure climbed to around CZK 9.6 billion. Therefore, this year’s tactical emergency exercise took place in the new facility producing modern polyethylene. It is widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and construction industry or the manufacture of chemical products for households.
“The emergency training is part of our training modules, where we test theoretical knowledge and transfer it to practice. We organise this exercise each year because we work in risk areas. It also meets the necessary legislative requirements,” said Michaela Freyová, Director of the Health and Safety Division of the Unipetrol Group.
“We held the exercise in the PE3, the newest plastic manufacturing unit in Chempark. The training focused on an isobutane leak in which the substance changed its liquid phase to the gaseous phase and caused a fire. We had one injury. The firefighters had to evacuate an injured operator and performed firefighting measures and cooling of the surrounding constructions. The measures were done by our corporate firefighting unit. It has 21 firefighters and two operating officers in each shift,” Petr Králert, chief of Unipetrol’s firefighting unit, commented on the simulated action.
The emergency exercise also verified the efficiency of the emergency plan, up-to-datedness of the operational and safety documentation of the new polyethylene unit, and collaboration of all teams when addressing an emergency. People from the Petrochemistry administrative building were evacuated, and the neighboring roads were closed for a short time in cooperation with the Police of the Czech Republic.
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The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude-oil processing and on the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilizers. In all these areas, it belongs among the important players on the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with its Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana Neratovice, and two research centers in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes a network of Benzina filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 417 filling stations, Benzina is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in terms of turnover in the Czech Republic. It earned over CZK 130 billion last year and employs more than 4,800 persons. In addition to its business development, Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives which focus on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, Unipetrol became a member of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude-oil processor in Central Europe.
For more information, please visit the “Responsible Company” section at www.unipetrol.cz.
Contact information: Pavel Kaidl, spokesman, telephone:
+420 225 001 407,
+420 736 502 520, e-mail:
pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz