AUSTRALIA: ESSO Australia says oil output back to normal 19 Jul 2000 Author: Reuters Esso Australia Ltd, a unit of Exxon Mobil Corp , said on Wednesday oil supply from its Bass Strait fields had resumed after a power outage on Wednesday morning halted output from its Longford plant in Victoria.

"Everything is back to normal," Esso spokesman Ron Webb said.

A power failure blacked out the entire Longford site around 6:00 a.m. (2000 GMT) cutting output from three gas plants on the site and halting pumping of crude from Longford to the Long Island Point tank farm.

The Bass Strait fields are a joint venture between Esso and The Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd . Production averages about 200,000 barrels per day.

Esso also faces a threat to Bass Strait crude oil production from union action over an enterprise bargaining dispute.

The unions have threatened not to restart equipment associated with crude oil production after it is down for maintenance, with action possible from Saturday onward.

Webb said negotiations would resume on Friday and it was hoped action would be averted.

He said in past disputes non-union Esso staff had been able to ensure production continued and there were not likely to be major supply problems.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), July 20, 2000