LONDON, Sept 15 (The African Portal) – One of Russia’s largest oil refineries, in the northwestern town of Kirishi, has halted a key processing unit following a Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend, two industry sources said on Monday.
Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure in an attempt to inflict damage on Moscow’s war efforts as talks to end the conflict between the two countries have stalled.
Russian officials have said Surgutneftegaz’s Kirishinefteorgsintez plant, one of Russia’s top two refineries, was among the targets attacked by Ukrainian drones last Sunday.
Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, said three drones were destroyed in the Kirishi area and a fire sparked by falling debris had been put out. He said no one was injured.
Surgutneftegaz did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said a unit at the plant was halted following the fire caused by the drones.
The unit accounts for almost 40% of the plant’s total processing capacity of some 20 million metric tons per year, or 400,000 barrels per day. They said a furnace at the unit and some other equipment was damaged, adding that maintenance could take about a month.
The sources said the plant will boost operations at its still functioning sections by up to 20% to compensate for the damaged unit being offline, which will allow it to maintain processing volumes at around 75% of nominal capacity.
According to industry sources, Kinef processed 17.5 million tons of oil in 2024, which amounted to 6.6% of Russia’s total oil refining volumes. It produced 2 million tons of gasoline, 7.1 million tons of diesel, 6.1 million tons of fuel oil, and 600,000 tons of bitumen.
Credit: REUTERS
