In the wake of the attack on Iraq’s Baiji refinery, the country’s Oil Ministry has stated that one crude unit that was undergoing maintenance will restart ahead of schedule. There are hopes that the action will help compensate for output lost in the bombing on February 26.
The sabotage, which damaged two of the plant’s four crude units and killed four engineers, was the first direct assault on the refinery since the countrywide violence initiated by the 2003 invasion. Iraq’s biggest refinery typically produces 250 000 bpd, but saw its output fall drastically to 150 000 bpd after the attack. The remaining active, undamaged unit at the complex continues to process up to 60 000 bpd.
Iraq will import fuel from unspecified neighboring producers, as well as increasing production at the Ash Shaabiya refinery in Basra, in order to alleviate the effect on stockpiles.