Australian refiner and marketer Ampol will defer scheduled maintenance at its 109,000 b/d Lytton refinery near the city of Brisbane.
The turnaround planned in early June will now take place at the start of August, Ampol said on 20 March.
Domestic production during this period of about 300mn litres of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel will occur, Ampol said, acknowledging the US-Iran war is having a significant effect on oil markets.
But Lytton processes light sweet crude oil in contrast to Middle East-sourced sour crudes, it said, with suitable crudes remaining available in the market.
Ampol operates one of two remaining refineries in Australia after a slew of closures since the late 2000s. It produces or imports about 40pc of Australia's oil products demand, selling 253,000 b/d in 2025, out of total consumption in Australia of 1.079mn b/d.
The federal government today announced it would extend its Fuel Security Services Payment subsidy to 2030 while allowing Lytton and the 120,000 b/d Geelong refinery to access state funds at a more generous level, once quarterly refiner margins fall to A$15.90/bl ($11.27/bl).
Fuel supply is sufficient until the second half of April when there is more uncertainty regarding shipments, energy minister Chris Bowen said yesterday.
Canberra last week made temporary changes to fuel standard regulations, allowing Ampol to sell 80-100mn litres/month of non-compliant, 50ppm sulphur gasoline made at Lytton refinery to be sold domestically, rather than being exported for blending.
Austraia's reliance on imported products has led firms to source supply from further afield as Asian refiners face export restrictions. At least three to five Medium Range tankers have been booked to load gasoline and diesel from the USGC in late March to head towards Australia in recent days.
