REFINERY NEWS ROUNDUP: Companies report lower throughput in Europe
Oil companies in Europe have reported lower throughput in the fourth quarter and 2020 as a whole, with many refineries continuing with run cuts in the first quarter of 2021. All units at Total’s Grandpuits refinery in central France are now fully offline as a result of a strike called by staff to protest against job losses resulting from the conversion of the refinery into a biorefinery, a union source said. Total halted the crude distillation unit at Grandpuits Nov. 16 but the other units at the site had remained in operation. All units are now halted and product deliveries have also stopped, while work to prepare the conversion of the refinery has also been halted. Strikes started in October at the site.
REFINERY NEWS ROUNDUP: Some maintenance ends in Europe, TAL shipments resume
Some maintenance has finished in Europe with refineries restarting but temporary closures remain in force at a number of plants, both full and partial.
The International Energy Agency expects improved oil products demand next year to result in 500,000 b/d higher throughput at European refiners after a 1.5 million b/d decline in 2020, with runs expected to remain below Q3 2020 levels until Q3 2021.
Separately, the Trans-Alpine pipeline (TAL), which ships crude oil from the Italian port of Trieste to refineries in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, resumed operations the morning of Dec. 11 after problems due to heavy snow in the Alps through which it runs, according to sources. The pipeline had stopped shipping crude as power supply to a pumping station in Austria was cut, Germany’s Bild newspaper reported. Miro, whose refinery in Karlsruhe is one of those that receives crude via TAL, said that foll