
Venezuela's second-largest refinery halted due to power blackout, sources say
Venezuela's aging refining network has frequent outages after years on insufficient investment, mismanagement and U.S. sanctions preventing the import of spare parts. In recent months, Cardon has been key to processing feedstock from some of the Orinoco Belt's heavy crude projects.
The blackout began early in the morning and did not affect Cardon's neighboring refinery, the 645,000-bpd Amuay plant, one of the sources said.
PDVSA was moving equipment between the two facilities to reestablish power as soon as possible, the second source said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
World faces record glut of oil next year as Opec floods markets
The world faces a record glut of oil next year as a Saudi-led cartel ramps up production – just as global demand slumps. On Wednesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said oil markets looked 'ever more bloated' as supply 'far eclipses' demand, with the Opec+ cartel of oil-producing countries – led by Saudi Arabia – ramping up production. Slashing its forecast for orders growth, the IEA predicted demand for an extra 680,000 barrels a day in 2025 – the lowest rate since the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2009, barring the pandemic. The sluggish demand clashes with a surge of production from Opec. The IEA said Opec's push to boost global oil supply would mean an extra 2.5 million barrels per day this year and 1.9 million barrels a day in 2026 – around 400,000 to 600,000 barrels higher than it previously expected. Weaker-than-expected demand in China, India and Brazil in recent months is expected to weigh the most on global orders. The IEA said demand growth would hit 700,000 barrels a day in 2026 – down from estimates of 720,000 last month. 'The latest data show lacklustre demand across the major economies and, with consumer confidence still depressed, a sharp rebound appears remote,' the IEA said. 'Consumption in emerging and developing economies has been weaker than expected, with China, Brazil, Egypt and India all revised down compared with last month's report.' Ole Hansen, an analyst at Saxo Bank, said the IEA's estimates meant a 'record supply glut next year with oil inventories accumulating at a rate of 2.96 million barrels per day, surpassing even the average build-up during the pandemic year of 2020'. The price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, fell as much as 0.9pc on Wednesday to below $66 per barrel. Prices have fallen about 10pc so far this year, having peaked at more than $82 a barrel in January before Donald Trump's tariff campaign raised concerns about global economic growth – and thus demand for oil. Keshav Lohiya, from consultant Oilytics, said traders were also looking ahead to the US president's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which could send oil prices even lower if the meeting appears to herald an end to the war in Ukraine. He said: 'Markets continue to remain in a wait-and-see approach as we await the big Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska.' Kathleen Brooks, an analyst at XTB, added: 'The peak of the supply glut will be at the end of 2026, according to the IEA, which could keep a lid on the oil price for the long term.'


The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
New draft of plastic pollution treaty would not limit plastic production
Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution are discussing a new draft of the text Wednesday that would not limit plastic production or address chemicals used in plastic products. The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. About 100 countries want to limit production as well as tackle cleanup and recycling. Many have said it's essential to address toxic chemicals. Powerful oil and gas-producing nations and the plastics industry oppose production limits. They want a treaty focused on better waste management and reuse. The draft contains one mention of plastic production in the preamble, reaffirming the importance of promoting sustainable production and consumption of plastics. It does not contain an article on production from a previous draft. There is no mention of chemicals. The new provisions seek to reduce the number of problematic plastic products that often enter the environment and are difficult to recycle and promote the redesign of plastic products so they can be recycled and reused. Parties to the treaty would improve their waste management. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at


Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
Elliott affiliate raises bid for Citgo parent as competition heats up
HOUSTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - An affiliate of hedge fund Elliott Investment Management has raised its bid for the Venezuela-owned parent company of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum to a total value of $8.82 billion, according to a filing providing an update on the court-organized auction. The complex auction of PDV Holding, meant to repay 15 creditors for debt defaults and expropriations by Venezuela and state oil company PDVSA, was relaunched in January after a year-long bidding process ended in shambles amid arguments over Citgo's worth and parallel legal cases. A Delaware Court officer supervising the auction had last month recommended a $7.4 billion bid by a group led by miner Gold Reserve (GRZ.V), opens new tab. But the court was last week notified of an improved offer of $8.45 billion from a subsidiary of commodities house Vitol, and the bid by Elliott affiliate Amber Energy arrived later. The court is scheduled to hold a hearing next week to make a decision on the winner. Amber Energy's increased offer includes a provision to pay holders of a defaulted Venezuelan bond, according to a letter filed on Tuesday by one of the creditors in the auction, Red Tree Investments. "Red Tree believes that Amber Energy is the highest bidder for the PDVH shares under Delaware law and should be selected as the winning bidder," the company said in the filing. Amber Energy did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Citgo and PDV Holding are subsidiaries of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA. As part of the case, the Delaware court found PDV Holding liable for Venezuela's debts, opening the doors for the creditors to pursue the refiner to have their claims paid.