Explosion at MOL’s petrochemical base kills one person

One person was killed and several seriously injured following an explosion at MOL's petrochemicals base in northeast Hungary (Tiszaujvaros) in the morning hours of  May 22, the oil company told state news agency MTI in a short statement.

The explosion occurred shortly before 9 a.m. during the restart of the Olefin-1 plant. Firefighters quickly localised the blaze, while operations were still ongoing after midday. Disaster management officials said nearby residents are not at risk.

The spokesman for the National Ambulance Service said three helicopters and a number of ambulances had arrived at the scene and were evacuating the injured. According to the latest reports at least seven people suffered serious burning injuries.

Measurements carried out by the disaster management authority's mobile laboratory did not detect hazardous substance levels above the permitted thresholds, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.

Economy and Energy Minister Istvan Kapitany said he was on his way to Tiszaujvaros to meet with MOL chairman-CEO Zsolt Hernadi near the site.

The Olefin-1 plant in Tiszaújváros, built between 1973 and 1975 as part of the former TVK chemical complex and later acquired by MOL, is the flagship unit of the company's petrochemical operations.

The facility processes naphtha and other light hydrocarbon fractions through steam cracking, producing ethylene and propylene used in polyethylene and polypropylene manufacturing, including LDPE, HDPE and PP products.

The plant has undergone several modernisation phases over the decades, with upgrades since the 2000s focusing on process control, operational safety, environmental protection and energy efficiency. By-products from the facility are also integrated into the operations of other chemical units in Tiszaújváros.

Petrochemicals have become an increasingly important segment for MOL. Two years ago the company inaugurated its €1.3bn polyol complex nearby, capable of producing around 200,000 tonnes annually.

The investment was hailed as the largest organic project of the company to date, which strengthened the company's position as an integrated chemical industry player in Central and Eastern Europe.

The fire is the second major incident at MOL facilities in Hungary. A fire at the Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta 20km south of Budapest in October temporarily disrupted production at the AV3 processing unit, which accounted for 40% of output. Following the incident, MOL shut down the affected unit. The company's restoration works are on schedule and the plant could operate with full capacity again from Q3.