Reformer of Venezuela's second-largest refinery halted for repairs
The naphtha reformer of Venezuela's second-largest refinery, the 310,000-bpd Cardon, has been halted for maintenance and repairs following an equipment malfunction last week, four sources close to operations said.
Venezuela's refining network, operated by state-owned company PDVSA, has been working at a fraction of capacity for years due to lack of investment, mismanagement and U.S. sanctions, which leads to frequent fuel scarcity.
Cardon's 45,000-bpd reformer, key for producing motor gasoline, will undergo repairs at a compressor, one of the sources said.
The refinery is currently working at 34% of capacity, processing some 105,000 bpd of crude, according to the sources. Its catalytic cracker, also key for motor fuel output, is out of service.
PDVSA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The neighboring Amuay and Cardon refineries, which together are part of the 955,000-bpd Paraguana Refining Center, the country's largest, were operating at about 25% of capacity on Monday, processing 242,000 bpd of crude, the sources said.
Amuay's catalytic cracker was in service, processing some 64,000 bpd.
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