Russia's NORSI refinery damaged by night strike loses half of its capacity

Reuters reports with reference to two industry sources.

"Industry sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the main crude distillation unit (AVT-6) at NORSI was damaged in the attack, which means that at least half of the refinery's production is halted. Lukoil declined to comment," the agency writes.

According to industry sources, NORSI processes about 15.8 million tonnes of Russian oil per year, or 5.8% of the total volume of refined oil.

According to Russian media, AVT-6 accounted for about 53% of the refinery's total throughput. The LUKOIL-Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez (NORSI) refinery in the Kstovo industrial zone is the fourth largest refinery in Russia.

"It accounts for about 11% of all petrol in the country, and the refinery processes 16-17 million tonnes of oil per year. In 2023, NORSI produced 4.9 million tonnes of petrol, 5.6 million tonnes of diesel, 2.3 million tonnes of fuel oil and 0.8 million tonnes of jet fuel," the news outlet writes.

• On the night of 12 March, drones targeted Russian territory: explosions in the Moscow Region, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh and Tula regions, and hits to oil industry enterprises in Orel and Nizhny Novgorod regions.