PDVSA managers, consulted by the Argus agency, estimate that next week it could reach 60 thousand b / d
By:
Web Writing
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Limited gasoline production resumed at the El Palito refinery for the first time since 2017, as reported by the specialized agency Argus, which added in a report that the Cardón refinery, from Punto Fijo, does not suffer the same fate and “suspended the gasoline production while a distillation tower is being repaired. “
“The El Palito refinery currently produces up to 20,000 b / d of 87-91 octane gasoline, after repairs with cannibalized parts from other Amuay and Puerto La Cruz refineries,” the report added.
The gasoline crisis in the country has been accentuated in recent weeks due to the extinction of inventories generated by the arrival of Iranian fuel, Argus also reported last week.
On the situation of the Paraguaná refining complex, the largest in the world, Argus adds that “Cardón was restarted for the first time in June, but efforts to boost production have failed in a succession of equipment failures, fuel leaks, compressor failures and two fires on July 6. ”
“We are now producing just 20,000 b / d of gasoline at El Palito when we expected to produce up to 50,000 b / d from the beginning of this week,” a downstream manager at PDVSA told Argus.
The gasoline shortage in Venezuela is evidenced by the return of long lines of vehicles in the decreasing number of service stations that remain open, including pumps that sell subsidized fuel and others that offer dollarized prices under a new price system and rationing presented by the government in late May.
Despite the critical situation, Cardón and El Palito managers remain optimistic that PDVSA’s gasoline production could increase to 60,000 b / d by the end of July, still well below estimated national gasoline demand of up to 110,000. b / d, a level suppressed by the country’s economy and health crisis.
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