Bitumen production from Tupras' four refineries in Turkey breached the 1mn t mark in January-June this year, well above levels in the first half of 2022, thanks to firm local and export demand and a rise in utilisation rates on the back of strong refining margins.
Bitumen production from Tupras' domestic refineries at Izmir, Izmit, Kirikkale and Batman totalled 1.12mn t in the first six months of this year, up by 7pc from just over 987,000t in the same period of 2022, according to the latest data from Turkish energy regulator EPDK.
June was the highest monthly output in the first half of 2023, at around 289,500t (see graph), up by 23pc on the month and 34pc higher on the year. All four refineries produced more bitumen in June compared to May and June 2022.
The largest month-on-month rise came from the Izmir refinery, which increased output by 69pc from May to 94,220t in June. Bitumen output from the Izmit refinery was particularly strong across the January-June period as a whole, increasing by 35pc on the year to 376,850t.
By Tom Woodlock
