The Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery will be closed from today, 07 October, due to a shortage in Forex for Crude Oil Cargos, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said today.
In a Twitter message, he said, however, there will be no shortage of refined products as the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has adequate stocks of all products.
He further said that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has made available the weekly Forex requirements for refined products.
The Energy Minister explained that a shortage of Forex for payment of 2 Ural Crude Cargos already used at the refinery has led to the decision to close down the refinery.
He added that the 100,000 MT ESPO Crude Oil Cargo that has been in Sri Lankan waters for the last 10 days will be unloaded as soon as adequate Forex is available to the CPC. (NewsWire)