SA’s largest refinery to minimise maintenance over coronavirus shutdown

South Africa’s largest refinery SAPREF will “minimise” maintenance to critical activities, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, as a national lockdown looms to contain the spread of coronavirus.

“Arrangements are in place to sustain crude supply into the refinery. Our intention is to continue to operate to support the supply of petroleum products to the country,” the spokeswoman added.

SAPREF, situated near Durban along the east coast, is a 50/50 joint venture between BP and Shell with a refining capacity of around 8.5 million tons a year. It accounts for 35% of the refining capacity in Africa’s most advanced economy, which is a net importer of petroleum products.