Crude unit at Tupras's Izmir oil refinery expected to restart mid-December, says IIR (updated)

Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri AS

04/12/2024 12:02

(Adds background)
       Dec 4 (Reuters) - A 151,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude
unit at the Izmir oil refinery operated by Turkey's Tupras is
tentatively expected to restart in mid-December after a fire on
Nov. 25, industry monitor IIR said.
    Tupras shut down the unit on Nov. 25 after a fire, the
company said in a public filing on Nov. 26.
    The exact restart date is unknown, IIR said in a note seen
by Reuters.
    Tupras did not respond immediately to emailed requests for
comment. 
    The refinery, with total crude processing capacity of
241,500 bpd, mainly produces fuel oil, diesel, jet fuel and
gasoline.
    Tupras has been among the biggest importers of Russian Urals
crude since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
    The Izmir refinery imported 65,000 bpd of Urals crude in
2024, up from 47,000 bpd in 2023, according to ship-tracking
service Kpler.
    Tupras is the biggest oil refiner in Turkey and owns a
225,800 bpd refinery in Izmit plus two smaller plants. 
    Azeri state energy company SOCAR owns the 200,000 bpd Star
oil refinery in Izmir.
    Turkey's oil refiners have been exporting more refined
products to other European countries since 2022, having imported
significant volumes of Russian diesel that created a surplus of
the fuel.

 (Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar and Enes Tunagur
Editing by David Goodman)
 ((Enes.Tunagur@thomsonreuters.com;))