Gasoline production at the burning South Australian oil refinery has been reduced to approximately 60% of its previous capacity after the huge fire, and jet fuel production has been reduced by approximately 20%.
This was announced by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He said that after the fire on April 16, the refinery “continues to operate at reduced capacity“.
“Jet fuel and diesel production remain at approximately 80% of their previous level“, the prime minister said, noting that gasoline production has been reduced to approximately 60% due to the fire.
The fire broke out at one of the country's two operating refineries on the night of the 16th April due to equipment failure. It took firefighters more than 13 hours to put out the fire.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen warned that the incident would lead to a reduction in fuel production, with petrol being the most worrisome.
According to the Australian Energy Department, the country imports 85-90% of its petroleum products. Against this backdrop, refinery outages increase risks to the domestic fuel market, which is already under pressure from rising global oil prices.