- (Reuters) - Some 108 of the 3,050 crude oil and natural
gas producing platforms in the path of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have
been destroyed, Gale Norton, U.S. interior secretary, said Tuesday.
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- Repairs to dozens of other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico
that experienced major hurricane damage could run in to next year, she
said, spelling a slow recovery to decimated energy output from the region.
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- According to the Minerals Management Service, U.S. crude
and natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico shut in ahead of the
hurricanes has improved only slightly since the latest hurricane.
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- The MMS said 89.97 percent of the region's 1.5 million
barrels per day of crude production capacity was still shut Tuesday, improving
slightly from the 92.8 percent shut Monday.
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- Some 71.69 percent of the region's natural gas production
capacity was also shut.
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- Since Aug. 26, hurricanes Katrina and Rita have cut 46.47
million barrels of U.S. crude output and 227.07 billion cubic feet of natural
gas output.
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- Onshore, Lyondell Chemical Co. said Tuesday its joint
venture refinery with Citgo in Houston was operating at only 50 percent
of capacity because of equipment problems encountered when it was restarted
last week.
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- The company said the 270,000 bpd plant would produce
at reduced rates for several weeks.
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- A dozen other refineries are still shut following hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, amounting to about 18 percent of U.S. refining capacity.
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