WILLEMSTAD — The cat cracker of the Isla-refinery is still out of use since the complete shutdown on August 27th due to problems at the BOO-power station.
Various units had been started up one day after the complete shutdown of the refinery. The steam and electricity supply from the BOO was then continued without further problems. At the time, it was the intention that the cat cracker would be started up again as soon as possible.
From Caracas, Reuters reports that PdVSA does not have any start-up date yet for the gasoline units of the Isla-refinery. This report was not entirely correct according to Isla who would provide additional information. This did not occur before the deadline of this newspaper.
According to unconfirmed reports, the cracker installation – which has a vital function at the refinery – could be restarted mid next month. The starting up of the cat cracker involves the well known torching which causes black smaze due to the incineration of remaining fumes.
According to the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal, three of the most important refineries of Venezuela are copying with inoperative units where the overhaul is taking longer than expected. Due to this, the company is contending with a lower gasoline production, a smaller gasoline stock, and the availability of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) could become a problem, according to El Universal.
Because of a too small production capacity at the Cardón-refinery, they should purchase gasoline from the Isla-refinery on Curaçao in order to comply with their obligations.
NEWS ARTICLE TAKEN FROM WWW.AMIGOE.COM