OREANDA-NEWS. April 21, 2010. Interfax-Ukraina has been told by Dmitiry Zverev, the press secretary of TNK-BP Commerce (Kiev), that the Lisichansk Oil Refinery (CJSC LINIK, Lugansk region) is to close in May for scheduled maintenance work that will last for one and a half months. “We are systematically preparing to shut down the plant in May to carry out a scheduled turnaround on the facilities. All the preparatory measures are being completed on schedule and we are continuously monitoring procurement and deliveries of materials and equipment”, he said, reported the press-centre of TNK-BP.

According to Zverev, company specialists and contractors aim to complete the turnaround as fast as possible. “The refinery units will be shut down in phases. We are planning for a downtime of around 50 days in the primary oil refining unit”, he added.

Zverev also noted that during the maintenance programme the company’s clients will be supplied with the oil products they need from adjacent markets.

The Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Operating Officer of TNK in Ukraine, Didier Casimiro, had previously announced that the maintenance shut-down of the Lisichansk refinery would be compensated by accumulated stocks and oil product deliveries from the Mozyr refinery in Belarus.

According to the Ministry of Fuel and Energy, the Lisichansk refinery increased its oil throughput in January – March 2010 by 7.5% compared to the same period in 2009, to 1,302,400 tons. Gasoline production rose by 5% to 383,500 tons, diesel by 5.1% to 344,900 tons and fuel oil by 62.2% to 421,000 tons.

The Lisichansk refinery currently has an annual refining capacity of around 8 million tons of oil.
The TNK-BP Group’s business in Ukraine consists of TNK-BP Commerce (managing centre, wholesale trading of oil products on the domestic and external markets, coordinated investment policy), UG Ltd. KERSCHER (retail trading of oil products) and CJSC LINIK.