KazMunayGas-owned Petromidia and Vega refineries in Romania to shut for 20 days for maintenance

ALMATY. Feb 25 (Interfax) - The Petromidia Navodari and Vega Ploiesti oil refineries on Romania, which are owned by Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG), will shut down for approximately 20 days beginning in early March for scheduled maintenance and upgrades, operator Rompetrol Rafinare, which is part of the KMG International group, said Wednesday.

The refineries will undergo the work as part of a regular maintenance cycle, the company said. Major planned overhauls are conducted every four years, with intermediate work every two years.

"The work will focus on inspections and recertification of production units and technological flows in line with legal requirements," the company said. "It will also include equipment cleaning, preventive checks and replacement of components such as catalysts. The goal is to maintain and increase production capacity, ensure product quality and guarantee safe, full-capacity operations for employees and the environment."

The work will be carried out by Rominserv, the general contractor for the KMG International group, with support from specialized subcontractors.

The two refineries are being shut down simultaneously because the Vega plant relies on finished and semi-finished products supplied by the Petromidia Navodari refinery.

During the shutdown, the company plans to meet contractual obligations to clients using its own petroleum product stocks, with additional support from the KMG International trading division.

Rompetrol Rafinare's largest shareholders are KMG International, with a 54.63% direct and indirect stake, and the Romanian state, represented by the Energy Ministry, with 44.7%.

KMG International, is registered in Romania and operates more than 1,300 filling stations in Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria and Georgia under the Rompetrol brand.

KazMunayGas is Kazakhstan's national operator for hydrocarbon exploration, production, processing and transportation. The Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund owns 90.42% and the National Bank of Kazakhstan owns 9.58% of its shares.