Page 4 - DMEA Week 42 2022

DMEA COMMENTARY DMEA

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji (L), shown during meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) in June 2022 (Photo: Shana)
Reading between the lines on

Owji’s El Palito announcement

Was Iran’s oil minister hailing Tehran’s launch of a new oil refinery in Venezuela, or was

he expressing relief over the resolution of a logistical problem that arose earlier this year?

ON its web page, Venezuela’s national oil com- (and China’s Xinhua agency) offered a more
pany (NOC) PdVSA lists El Palito, a crude-pro- nuanced rendering of the minister’s remarks.
WHAT: cessing plant in Carabobo State, as one of the six SHANA and Press TV, for example, merely
Owji noted that PdVSA’s refineries under its ownership. It also states that quoted Owji as saying that El Palito was now
El Palito refinery was now the 140,000 barrel per day (bpd) facility has been processing some 100,000 bpd of Iranian oil, in
processing 100,000 bpd in operation since 1960. a development signalling that Tehran had real-
of Iranian crude.
As such, it was somewhat unexpected to ised its long-time ambition of seeing Iranian
read a report from the Mehr news agency at the crude delivered to Venezuela for large-scale
WHY: weekend that Iran had launched a refinery at processing.
His announcement comes
several months after the El Palito in Venezuela. But on October 16, the “This was a long-standing and 43-year-old
signing of a package of agency quoted Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji dream that was realised through the efforts
accords between Caracas as saying that the country had brought its first of my colleagues at the National Iranian Oil
and Tehran. refinery online in a foreign country and could Refining and Distribution Co. (NIORDC),” he
process 100,000 bpd of crude at the new El Palito remarked.
WHAT NEXT: plant in the South American country. Owji’s statements were echoed by Jalil Sal-
Iranian authorities may Now that the Venezuelan refinery has been ari, the head of NIORDC, who also expressed
also be relieved at the completed, he added, Iran intends to proceed satisfaction with the start of Iranian oil process-
thought of being able to with plans for the construction of oil-processing ing operations at El Palito. Salari also stressed
sign more foreign refinery facilities in other foreign countries. that Tehran remained keen on the prospect of
deals. The confusion appears to have been an error building additional refineries outside Iranian
in translation, as other Iranian news agencies territory.

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 42 20•October•2022