CARACAS, Sept 23 - Venezuela said on Wednesday it had no restart date for the gasoline unit of its Isla refinery, closed since the end of August, but vowed to bring the cracker at its Cardon refinery back online in less than a month.
PDVSA frequently misses deadlines on refinery work, with units often idled for months longer than originally intended.
Jesus Luongo, head of the Paraguana complex, Venezuela's largest which includes Cardon and Amuay refineries, said he did not know when the company's 320,000 bpd Isla oil refinery would restart after being closed since the end of August.
Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA leases the Isla refinery, which is located on the nearby island of Curacao.
The Cardon cracker, the OPEC nation's second largest, was closed to expand output by 15 percent to 89,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel per day in a $650 million upgrade over a year ago.
"It should be in service next month, after Oct. 15," Jesus Luongo, head of the Paraguana complex, Venezuela's largest which includes Cardon and Amuay refineries, told reporters.
A refinery source told Reuters last week that an electronic simulation was being carried out prior to the restart.
Venezuela's gasoline output has been affected this year by a series of stoppages and planned maintenance at refineries.
Luongo added that the El Palito refinery's catalytic cracker was restarting on Wednesday, though PDVSA had previously said it began last week.
"It should be online today," he said. That cracker will start with 35,000 bpd, working up to 60,000 by year end.
PDVSA frequently misses deadlines on refinery work, with units often idled for months longer than originally intended.
Jesus Luongo, head of the Paraguana complex, Venezuela's largest which includes Cardon and Amuay refineries, said he did not know when the company's 320,000 bpd Isla oil refinery would restart after being closed since the end of August.
Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA leases the Isla refinery, which is located on the nearby island of Curacao.
The Cardon cracker, the OPEC nation's second largest, was closed to expand output by 15 percent to 89,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel per day in a $650 million upgrade over a year ago.
"It should be in service next month, after Oct. 15," Jesus Luongo, head of the Paraguana complex, Venezuela's largest which includes Cardon and Amuay refineries, told reporters.
A refinery source told Reuters last week that an electronic simulation was being carried out prior to the restart.
Venezuela's gasoline output has been affected this year by a series of stoppages and planned maintenance at refineries.
Luongo added that the El Palito refinery's catalytic cracker was restarting on Wednesday, though PDVSA had previously said it began last week.
"It should be online today," he said. That cracker will start with 35,000 bpd, working up to 60,000 by year end.
