WASHINGTON, Sept 23: The US Department of Energy said on Tuesday six oil refineries in Texas remained shutdown due to Hurricane Ike.

The six refineries have a total capacity of 1.698 million barrels per day. In addition, seven oil refineries with a capacity of 1.210 million bpd were operating at reduced levels.

The Energy Department reported 12 refineries with a capacity of 2.712 million bpd had resumed normal operations.

Separately, seven natural gas processing plants with a total capacity of 4.68 billion cubic feet per day remain closed.

Of the 39 natural gas plants that were in the path of Hurricane Ike, 24 plants with a capacity of 9.20 bcf per day are currently operating at reduced or normal levels.

Seven plants with a capacity of 3.59 bcf per day are capable of restarting once they receive power and the upstream gas flow is sufficient.—Reuters