Russian refineries are unable to resume production of petroleum products after a drone attack because of damaged equipment that requires Western components that are unavailable due to sanctions.
Source. Reuters reports.
Reportedly, when a turbine broke down at Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez, Lukoil's largest refinery, in January this year, it turned out that spare parts for it could not be found. The multinational oil engineering company OUP, which had been maintaining it, left Russia in 2022.
Reuters sources say that because of this, the catalytic cracker, which converts heavy hydrocarbons into gasoline, has been out of commission since then. The refinery's problems, according to this information, are only an example of the difficulties faced by the entire Russian oil refining industry.
According to the sources, they are exacerbated by Ukrainian drone attacks that have hit several Russian refineries this year. Reuters estimates that the attacks forced them to shut down about 14% of their capacity in the first quarter.
Honeywell International Inc, UOP's parent company, said it has not supplied any equipment, spare parts, products or services to the Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez refinery since February 2022, nor to the Slavyansk ECO refinery, which was hit by drones on 18 March. In addition, the company stressed that it is working to identify and stop any possible leakage of its products to Russia.
At the same time, Reuters sources say that Lukoil has asked Chinese companies to repair the unit at Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez. One of them clarified that this does not mean a simple repair, but a complete replacement of the expensive unit.
Background. According to CNN, Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries are affecting Russia's economy more than Western sanctions.