Post by scumbuster on Aug 28, 2020 18:36:04 GMT -5
Venezuela’s Cardón Refinery is the Only One Still Standing – For Now
CARACAS – Venezuela’s oil industry woes increase by the minute as the country runs out of fuel making it nearly impossible to meet the internal demand with a single refinery still in operation – at least until further notice.
Indeed, 2019 was the year that Venezuela’s power grid collapsed but this one in particular, without a doubt, has been that of the oil debacle mainly evidenced by the harsh fuel crisis felt by its citizens who have to queue up and waste their precious time for long hours – even days – at service stations nationwide trying to get their tanks filled up paying unreasonable international prices for only a few gallons – if they’re lucky enough.
While operations at the 146,000 bpd El Palito in Carabobo state were brought to a halt once more, according to a Reuters report, the 310,000 bpd Cardón refinery restarted this week for the second time this year after several fires disrupted production in mid-June, but no one knows for sure for how long.
Cardón is part of the Paraguaná Refinery Complex (Venezuela’s biggest and the world’s third largest) in Falcón state with two additional units: Amuay and Bajo Grande.
Iván Freites, Secretary-General of Falcón’s Oil and Gas Workers Union, told local daily El Nacional in an interview about the details of Cardón’s restart as well as the general conditions of the Paraguaná Refinery Complex.
“So far this year, Cardón has been producing gasoline through its fluid catalytic cracking unit from June 13-July 14 with an approximate output of 30,000 bpd, but there were a series of fires that led to a disruption in production.”
Freites pointed out that, despite the instability in the systems, operations resumed last Thursday as soon as the repair works finished at the naphtha catalytic reforming unit. The refinery is currently producing 26,000 bpd of “reformed” gasoline, a 95-octane fuel that comes straight out of the naphtha unit completely unmixed.
“The gasoline that is being distributed should be a mixture, but since we don’t have the other plants in operation (catalytic and distillation), because that’s the only one up and running (the naphtha unit), that’s the only we sell on the market,” Freites was quoted as saying adding that this type of fuel “should not damage the vehicles’ engines, but may leave rubber buildups in the tanks.”
When asked if other refineries were currently producing gasoline in the country, Freites made it clear that Cardón is the only one left standing. “Cardón is the only producing gasoline. The rest is nothing but propaganda.”
With regard to the current oil output at the Paraguaná Refinery Complex, he said Amuay is producing some 85,000 bpd and Cardón 55,000 bpd for a total of 140,000 bpd. In the case of Cardón, 26,000 bpd of reformed gasoline are produced out of those 55,000 bpd. Freites did not specify production at the 16,000 bpd Bajo Grande asphalt plant, Venezuela’s smallest refinery.
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2494844&CategoryId=10717
CARACAS – Venezuela’s oil industry woes increase by the minute as the country runs out of fuel making it nearly impossible to meet the internal demand with a single refinery still in operation – at least until further notice.
Indeed, 2019 was the year that Venezuela’s power grid collapsed but this one in particular, without a doubt, has been that of the oil debacle mainly evidenced by the harsh fuel crisis felt by its citizens who have to queue up and waste their precious time for long hours – even days – at service stations nationwide trying to get their tanks filled up paying unreasonable international prices for only a few gallons – if they’re lucky enough.
While operations at the 146,000 bpd El Palito in Carabobo state were brought to a halt once more, according to a Reuters report, the 310,000 bpd Cardón refinery restarted this week for the second time this year after several fires disrupted production in mid-June, but no one knows for sure for how long.
Cardón is part of the Paraguaná Refinery Complex (Venezuela’s biggest and the world’s third largest) in Falcón state with two additional units: Amuay and Bajo Grande.
Iván Freites, Secretary-General of Falcón’s Oil and Gas Workers Union, told local daily El Nacional in an interview about the details of Cardón’s restart as well as the general conditions of the Paraguaná Refinery Complex.
“So far this year, Cardón has been producing gasoline through its fluid catalytic cracking unit from June 13-July 14 with an approximate output of 30,000 bpd, but there were a series of fires that led to a disruption in production.”
Freites pointed out that, despite the instability in the systems, operations resumed last Thursday as soon as the repair works finished at the naphtha catalytic reforming unit. The refinery is currently producing 26,000 bpd of “reformed” gasoline, a 95-octane fuel that comes straight out of the naphtha unit completely unmixed.
“The gasoline that is being distributed should be a mixture, but since we don’t have the other plants in operation (catalytic and distillation), because that’s the only one up and running (the naphtha unit), that’s the only we sell on the market,” Freites was quoted as saying adding that this type of fuel “should not damage the vehicles’ engines, but may leave rubber buildups in the tanks.”
When asked if other refineries were currently producing gasoline in the country, Freites made it clear that Cardón is the only one left standing. “Cardón is the only producing gasoline. The rest is nothing but propaganda.”
With regard to the current oil output at the Paraguaná Refinery Complex, he said Amuay is producing some 85,000 bpd and Cardón 55,000 bpd for a total of 140,000 bpd. In the case of Cardón, 26,000 bpd of reformed gasoline are produced out of those 55,000 bpd. Freites did not specify production at the 16,000 bpd Bajo Grande asphalt plant, Venezuela’s smallest refinery.
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2494844&CategoryId=10717