The Sapugaskanda refinery will be closed from January 3 due to difficulties in purchasing crude oil as a result of the foreign exchange crisis.
The Ministry of Energy states that the refinery is expected to resume operations from January 30.
The relevant company should be informed 90 days in advance of the purchase of Murban Crude Oil used at the Sapugaskanda Refinery during the process of purchasing crude oil and the purchase of alternative crude oil as an emergency purchase has also failed due to the lack of foreign exchange, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Energy states that the temporary closure of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery will not create a shortage of oil in the country as it supplies only 14 percent of the country’s petrol and 29 percent of the country’s diesel requirements.
The supply of crude oil from the Singaporean company which has been awarded the contract for the long-term supply of crude oil to Sri Lanka is to be commenced on January 26.
