After the accident at the OMV refinery in Schwechat last week, in which the main distillation plant was damaged, the company has now introduced a new system to ensure the supply of fuel in Austria. The loss in Schwechat is to be compensated for by the group’s other refineries. In addition, the production capacity of a smaller crude oil distillation plant is to be increased: the company announced this yesterday, Friday. As reported by the OÖN this week, experts warn that the damage caused during the test filling of a container after maintenance could have serious effects on the supply of petrol stations in Austria: 60 to 70 percent of the fuel required comes from Schwechat. Recently there were bottlenecks in the supply of kerosene at Vienna Airport.
According to OMV, the group’s other refineries, Burghausen (southern Germany) and Petrobrazi (Romania), are now to supply the Schwechat site with input materials and deliver larger quantities of fuel to Austria. By exploiting the capacities of a smaller crude oil distillation, all crude oil produced domestically should be able to be processed without restrictions.
The group is also examining whether production capacities in Schwechat can be increased. In addition, OMV wants to buy the missing quantities: One is already in coordination with logistics partners. The accident is currently being investigated: The group does not want to commit itself to how long the repairs will take. Insiders report several months. voestalpine is inquiring about heavy plate. The government’s release of fuel reserves is welcomed.
The news was not well received by investors: the OMV share slipped into double digits yesterday. By the time the stock market closed, the company had lost ten percent of its stock market value.
Source: Nachrichten
