Half of South Africa’s oil refining to shut until 2022

Bloomberg

South African plants owned by Glencore Plc and Petroliam Nasional Bhd that make up 43% of the nation’s oil-refining capacity are expected to stay shut until at least 2022, according to energy consultant Citac.
Astron Energy Ltd, a unit of Glencore, has yet to restart the 100,000 barrel-a-day Cape Town refinery after a deadly explosion and fire in July. Petronas unit Engen Holdings Ltd’s Durban plant also stopped production in December after a fire.
The closures will force South Africa to rely heavily on fuel imports. All four of South Africa’s oil refineries — with a total capacity of more than 500,000 barrels a day — have had accidents or are under review, with the industry hit hard by the Covid pandemic.