Pakistan’s biggest refinery, the 100,000 barrels-per-day Pak Arab refinery, was shut on Friday for a month-long routine maintenance, industry sources said on Monday.
The refinery accounts for about a third of the country’s overall refining capacity. Sources said it was shut on March 16 and would reopen on April 16.
Last week, fuel distributor Pakistan State Oil issued a tender for 650,000 tonnes of fuel oil for April-June delivery, and also bought 75,000 tonnes of jet fuel and 140,000 tonnes of gasoline for April-May.
Sources said the company had no plans to seek more fuel oil during the refinery’s maintenance shutdown.
Demand for oil products in Pakistan is expected to increase by 10 to 15 percent from June, as the summer heat increases the usage of air conditioning and drivers run their cars more often.
Pak Arab refinery is a 60-40 joint venture between the Pakistan government and of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Pak Arab refinery shutdown for maintenance
