CARACAS, WILLEMSTAD - PDVSA has halted its last two operational refineries in Venezuela, closing the Amuay and Cardón facilities of the Paraguaná Refining Center (CRP), the largest refining complex in the country, according to a technical report seen Monday by S&P Global Platts

Due to multiple failures and the lack of crude oil to process, the Amuay refinery of 645,000 b / d capacity was completely closed on Monday, with its five distillers out of service, and the Cardón refinery of 310,000 b / d capacity, it was closed on Saturday for maintenance work on distiller No.1, which had been operating at 50,000 b / d.

An operator of a refinery in Amuay, who spoke with Platts on condition of anonymity said it will take "maybe two or three more days" to restart Amuay and "a few weeks" for Cardón to be operational due to the distillator repairs.

The 108,000 b / d catalytic cracking unit of Amuay has been closed since December, the 72,000 b / d flexicoquer unit of the plant has been closed since March 2016, and the 34,000 b / d delayed coking unit remains closed for repairs.

Amuay has not run to full capacity since August 2012, when an explosion killed 42 people and wounded 80.

The Bajo Grande asphalt plant of 16,000 b / d, also part of the CRP, was already closed.

PDVSA operates two other refineries, Puerto La Cruz of 187,000 b / d capacity and El Palito of 140,000 b / d capacity, which are closed due to the deterioration of the units, the lack of light crude oil to process and failures in the supply of electricity.

PDVSA also lost the Curaçao refinery which will soon be operated by the Klesch Group.