ARL delays maintenance

KARACHI: Attock Refinery Limited said on Monday it had postponed by a week the month-long closure of some of its units for maintenance, following advice from the oil and gas regulator to ensure smooth supplies of petroleum products.

The refinery's annual turnaround, which was earlier planned from Feb. 10, has been deferred and is now expected to commence from Feb. 18, the company said in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

"This has been done as per advice of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to reduce the overlapping period of refinery shutdown with another refinery and to ensure continued supplies of petroleum products," the notice said.

Temporary shutdowns are essential to maintain and upgrade the equipment and machinery associated with the refinery. Last month, Attock Refinery said some of the existing units of the refinery would be shut down as part of the turnaround, resulting in a reduction of the refinery's throughput to around 40 percent.

The authorities have made alternative arrangements to handle crude oil production from northern oilfields and to meet any product shortfall, the company said.