Texas, August 29 (Reuters) - In preparation for Hurricane Idalia, energy giants Kinder Morgan (KMI.N) and Chevron (CVX.N) both announced plans to shut down oil pipelines and evacuate workers from three sites in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.

 

Hurricane Idalia intensified as it made its way toward Florida's Gulf Coast, requiring evacuations in low-lying coastal regions that are anticipated to be inundated by the ferocious storm when it makes landfall on Wednesday.

 

The third-largest oil producer in the U.S. Gulf, Chevron, said that all workers from its Genesis platform and non-essential people were removed from its Blind Faith and Petronius platforms. In the central Gulf of Mexico, Blind Faith and Petronius are located up to 160 miles (257 km) southeast of New Orleans.

 

Oil and gas facilities run by Chevron in the Gulf of Mexico were still in operation. According to a spokeswoman, the Genesis platform, which is located roughly 150 miles (241 km) southwest of New Orleans, is being decommissioned.

 

While this was happening, Kinder Morgan closed its Port Manatee, Port Sutton, and Tampaplex ports, which handle products like coal, fertilizers, scrap metal, and pet coke.

 

The business also announced that it will close the Central Florida Pipeline System and its Tampa Terminal for Refined Products later in the day.

 

The refinery in Orlando is still operating, but Kinder Morgan said that the refinery was closely watching the storm's development, to be ready for any effects.

 

According to the corporate website, the Central Florida Pipeline (CFPL) system of Kinder Morgan consists of a 110-mile, 16-inch diameter petroleum pipeline moving gasoline and batched denatured ethanol, as well as an 85-mile, 10-inch diameter petroleum line moving diesel and jet fuel.