PdV plans Amuay refinery restart this week

Venezuelan state-owned PdV plans to partially restart its 635,000 b/d Amuay refinery this week but the 305,000 b/d Cardon refinery is not likely to be repaired before the end of February, plant workers tell Argus.

The two refineries comprise the 940,000 b/d CRP complex, the last of PdV's operating crude-processing plants that were suspended in recent days because of equipment failures.

PdV has 1.3mn b/d of nameplate refining capacity in Venezuela, but all plants are currently out of service, aggravating a chronic fuel shortage.

Amuay had been processing about 50,000 b/d until its sole operational crude distillation unit failed. The plant's 108,000 b/d catalytic cracker broke down last month. A flexicoker and coking units have been out of service for over three years.

Cardon had also been processing about 50,000 b/d before its only operational CDU broke down on 25 July. A catalytic cracker has been down since early 2019.

The refinery workers blame the shutdowns on neglected maintenance and a lack of imported replacement parts for worn-out equipment.

PdV regularly attributes its operational problems to US sanctions.

The workers say the CRP has not operated above 40pc of its capacity since a 2012 olefins explosion at Amuay.

PdV's 140,000 b/d El Palito refinery has been out of service since 2017, and its 190,000 b/d Puerto La Cruz refinery suspended operations around a year ago because of unstable electricity supply and a persistent crude supply deficit.

PdV said the CRP disruptions are temporary and any fuel supply shortfalls will be offset with imports.

Extensive electricity blackouts in March and July 2019 forced the CRP completely off line twice last year.