Rompetrol announced that the largest refinery in Romania, Petromidia, is currently undergoing an overhaul, contradicting the minister of energy, Bogdan Ivan, who had stated that he had temporarily postponed it, according to Profit.ro.

Minister Ivan also said he would restart Petrotel Lukoil refinery after he received an informal permit from the US’s OFAC and “reopened trading route” to bring crude oil into the country.

"We have greatly increased crude oil imports, we have managed to temporarily postpone a technical overhaul of the Petromidia refinery, we are also working at full capacity at Petrobrazi, precisely to ensure that we have stability in Romania," minister Ivan recently declared.

Rompetrol, however, claimed the opposite. "We would like to remind you that, currently, production activities at the Petromidia refinery are suspended for scheduled overhaul works, which are underway, according to the agreed schedule," the company said in a statement. 

According to Rompetrol, the works are absolutely necessary for the optimal and safe operation of the largest refinery in the country. The shutdown is carried out based on a clear calendar, with general overhauls scheduled at 4-year intervals and technological shutdowns carried out at 2-year intervals, for intermediate works. 

Petromidia has a refining capacity of 5.9 million tons per year, representing 46.3% of Romania's total processing capacity.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Rompetrol-KMG International)