WILLEMSTAD.- Isla Refinery refutes a report published in an American industrial bulletin. Last Saturday EXTRA published the information obtained. According to the report that the bulletin published, it is said that Curaçao is close to signing preliminary agreements with at least two American and European companies to revive the Petroleum Refinery on the island that is practically abandoned by Venezuelan operator PDVSA.
Refinery refutes this claim categorically, every day, more than 1000 earn their pay check thanks to their work at Isla Refinery. Every day there are different contractor companies that carry out maintenance work on the property of the Refinery. Isla is paying the salaries of its employees every month.
Isla is also paying all invoices for all contractors. Isla is paying all bills to its suppliers. Isla is paying CRU every month for the utility that must be delivered. Isla pays RdK rent for the Refinery every month.
At the same time the bulletin in question alleges, that the Refinery cannot operate due to lack of crude oil. According to Isla Refinery, CRU is currently doing maintenance work on different units. For this reason, CRU will deliver enough steam by the end of November. If necessary, Refinery could even buy crude. But it is a fact that steam cannot be bought. Only CRU can generate and deliver steam so that Refinery can operate.
With respect to the rest of the report the Refinery will not react.
According to the Refinery, the act of signing is at the level of PDVSA and RdK. The bulletin indicated that PDVSA is storing and transporting from Bullenbaai terminal in order to export to China and India. Also that Curaçao hopes that the American and European companies with which they are in talks, can supply fresh crude and better short-term operations in order to get the Refinery back on its feet. The cooperation of PDVSA is required to achieve the implementation of the rescue plan. And in this case, RdK must convince PDVSA in Caracas to sign a commercial agreement regarding the raw material.
The agreement of Curaçao with the American companies in turn requires a type of exception on the American financial sanctions applied to PDVSA and the Venezuelan Government.
