Venezuela's Paraguaná Refinery Starts Operation with Iranian Crude

The Iranian crude oil that recently arrived in Venezuela meets the requirements of the Paraguaná Refining Center (CRP) of Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA, even when it contains more sulphur than what was asked for, reported oil expert Werther Sandoval.

Oil tankers from Iran arrived at the CRP, the second largest refinery in the world, loaded with four million barrels of oil of 28 degrees API. API is the measure used to determine the value of crude oil, depending on whether it is light or heavy.

According to Sandoval, this Iranian oil, which is similar to the oil found in Zulia state and therefore meets the requirements of the CRP, will allow “the supply of lubricants and gasoline to the automobiles, domestic gas to homes, kerosene or gasoline to turbine planes, coke to the ovens of the Sidor steelworks, fuel oil to the boilers of ships.”

Why Iranian oil? Sandoval gathered from workers in the oil industry that the cause of the drop in the level of refining is the accumulated disinvestment, lack of maintenance and repair of wells, work that has been interrupted mainly by the unilateral sanctions and the economic blockade, which prevents the supply of materials that must be imported. In addition to this, there is a campaign to make workers leave for other companies abroad, a spiral that is fed by the fall in income and, consequently, the deterioration of the situation.

Although the refinery is not functioning at its maximum capacity, that is 950,000 barrels a day, the workers say that in order to maintain reliability and continuity in fuel production, a minimum production is required. This is how Iran, another country that is a victim of the US blockade, is assisting in the recovery of the Venezuelan oil industry.

(Misión Verdad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/AF