Eni SPA, citing poor refining margins in Europe, is limiting operation of its 105,000-b/cd Gela refinery on the southern coast of Sicily.
For 12 months, the refinery will process domestic crude oil but not foreign crudes or residues. Normal operations are to resume in April 2013.
Eni didn’t specify the effect of its move on capacity utilization. It said 500 workers would be affected.
According to Oil & Gas Journal’s Worldwide Refining Report, the refinery’s processing capacities included 45,000 b/d of delayed coking, 35,000 b/d of fluid catalytic cracking, and 13,850 b/d of cyclic catalytic reforming (OGJ, Dec. 5, 2011, p. 30).
