Lithuania's Mazeikiai oil refinery, which is owned by Polish company PKN Orlen, was brought to a standstill by an automated accident-prevention device as voltage in its electricity supply system dropped for an unclear reason around 4 p.m. on Monday, a Mazeikiu Nafta (MN) company spokesman said according to Interfax.
MN Director of Public Relations Rosvaldas Gorbaciovas told the Baltic News Service that the accident was serious and that the entire equipment of what is the only oil refinery in the Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - was out of operation.
"However, it's difficult to say now whether there will be any damages," he said.
The refinery has been running at full capacity since the start of 2008 after renovation that took nearly a year. One of its largest units had burned down in October 2006.