Major repairs of refineries in the face of energy imbalance

According to Energy Press, overhaul is a set of measures in which refineries and petrochemical plants overhaul their equipment to increase efficiency and production capacity. In Iran, overhaul of refineries has been accompanied by discussions and challenges in recent years. One of these challenges has been energy imbalance, which has led to gas outages for various industries, especially in the winter. On the other hand, overhaul operations are only carried out in the summer due to increased gas production. Now, there is this challenge that if this operation is carried out in the summer and gas is not supplied to various industries and their gas and energy supply are cut off in the winter, then the wheel of Iran’s economy will practically stop moving. But this is only one side of the story. If overhaul operations are not carried out for the same reasons mentioned, we will still witness a decrease in energy production and further imbalance. Given that these repairs must be carried out regularly, experts consider it necessary to take faster action to start and finish them. Statistics show that after major repairs, refinery production has increased. Therefore, failure to carry out major repairs, given the upcoming cold seasons and high domestic gas consumption, could lead to an exacerbation of the energy imbalance.
An early start; which refineries will be overhauled?
In an exclusive interview with Energy Press, Mohammad Reza Julai, Director of Coordination and Supervision of Production at the National Iranian Gas Company, said about the status of major repairs at refineries under the company’s supervision: Regarding the major repairs of refineries, given the country’s situation that is facing a shortage of electricity in the first half of the year and the need to supply fuel to power plants, we have been making the necessary predictions and plans since last winter. Usually, these repairs begin in mid- or late April. But this year was perhaps one of the few years that we were able to start major repairs in mid-April.

He added: “We have started major repairs with the 9th refinery of South Pars, and currently three other refineries are under repair. The Parsian and Hasheminejad refineries are under repair, and the overhaul of refineries 20, 24, and 12 has begun in the past week. We have not encountered any problems during these repairs so far. Given the sensitivity of the refineries, we tried to adjust the programs in such a way that we can manage time optimally and carry out the necessary repairs and inspections at the refineries, so that there is no problem in supplying fuel to the power plants.”