Fire breaks out at one of Kazakhstan's largest oil refineries

A fire broke out at one of the largest oil refineries in Kazakhstan.

A fire broke out at the Atyrau Oil Refinery in Kazakhstan. This enterprise is one of the three largest oil refineries in the country, with an annual capacity of 5.5 million tons.

According to the press service of the enterprise, oil sludge (powdery product) caught fire in the clarifier of a closed-type mechanical treatment plant. No work was being carried out in the area at the time of the incident. There were no injuries, the plant continues to operate as usual.

Videos from the scene were also distributed on the Internet. Later, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan reported that the fire had been completely extinguished. 65 employees and 19 special equipment were involved in extinguishing it.

For information, the plant is located in the Atyrau region, bordering the Astrakhan region of Russia. The plant was commissioned in 1945 and is owned by Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company, KazMunayGas.

The fire occurred amid reports that Kazakhstan had agreed to process Russian oil and return 70 percent of the gasoline and diesel produced to Moscow. Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said the 850,000-ton annual Condensate plant would be used to implement the deal.

Kazakhstan also began supplying small quantities of Ai-92 gasoline to Russia, where a second wave of fuel shortages is intensifying.

Russia's fuel shortages have become even more acute after a new series of strikes on oil refineries by Ukraine. More than 10 companies in the sector have been attacked since early August, with at least five of them shutting down.

Currently, the volume of oil refining in Russia is about one-third below the seasonal norm. According to the "Benzonavt" service, which monitors large gas station networks, 78% of Russian gas stations do not have Ai-95 gasoline, 68% do not have Ai-92 gasoline, and 75% do not have diesel fuel.