Reuters: sanctions complicate repairs of Russian refineries after accidents and drone strikes
The repair of a catalytic cracking unit at the Lukoil oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod is being delayed indefinitely because the company cannot find spare parts. He writes about this with reference to several sources. Reuters.
The installation is necessary for processing heavy hydrocarbons into gasoline. It has not been operating since January, which is why the company has reduced gasoline production by 40 percent.
The main problem for the refinery was the sanctions imposed after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Without them, for repairs, one had to turn to the American company UOP, which also specializes in the production of equipment for oil refining. The situation is complicated by the lack of specialists in Russia who can repair the installation.
At least a dozen sources said similar problems were being encountered at other refineries, which were mostly built or modernized with the help of American and European companies. The difficulties are compounded by drone attacks, which the agency estimates have knocked out 14 percent of capacity.
The material indicates that every large refinery in Russia uses a combination of local and Western equipment. Cooperation with the United States in this area began during World War II, when Washington provided equipment to the USSR as part of the Lend-Lease program.
Earlier, Reuters reported a multiple increase in gasoline imports from Belarus. In January, before the accidents, Russia practically did not purchase fuel from the neighboring country.
This week, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia is not going to build new refineries because the country's existing capacity is sufficient.
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