He is best known for his role as the chief executive of the energy company BP between 1995 and 2007. This period has been described as the company's "golden period of expansion and diversification" though safety and health violations following an investigation of the fatal explosion at BP's Texas City, Texas, plant on 23 March 2005 which claimed the lives of 15 workers and injured more than 170 others, resulted in fines and awards being given out. Browne was much lauded during this period, as he engineered a merger with rival Amoco, and gained access to Russian oil reserves with the creation of TNK-BP. Nicknamed by employees the "Sun King" for his management style, he also received praise for increasing BP's interest in renewable energy sources. He resigned from BP in controversial circumstances after he was found by a judge to have lied in court about the details of a personal relationship (though charges of perjury were never brought).