Wholesale gas prices rose 6 to 10 cents in California after a large explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance injured four workers and shut down a portion of the plant.
“The shutdown at the Torrance refinery coupled with the earlier shutdown of the Tesoro Golden Eagle refinery has squeezed the supply of gasoline,” said Linda Rapattoni, spokeswoman for the California Energy Commission.
While wholesale prices jumped, AAA reports the average price of regular gasoline in California increased by 1.8 cents per gallon over Wednesday, said Linda Rapattoni, spokeswoman of the California Energy Commission.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health on Wednesday afternoon ordered the refinery to shut down all work inside its fluid catalytic cracking unit, where the blast occurred. An Exxon Mobil spokesman says units not affected by the blast have continued to operate.
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