DMEA: Astron refinery set to return

Glencore-owned company Astron Energy reported on February 1 that it is set to re-commission its 100,000 barrel per day (bpd) Cape Town refinery.

Astron said regarding the Milnerton plant that "We are in the final steps of a safe full restart ... and plan to fully recommence the production of refined products for supply into the Western Cape and the wider South African regions in the coming weeks.”

Commitments to reopen the facility lie at odds with current trends in South Africa, where due to incoming clean energy regulations oil and gas refineries are opting to shut rather than invest in refurbishment and upgrades.

The refinery had been closed since 2020, when a deadly fire damaged the facility, killing two engineers in the process. Glencore had first acquired the refinery in 2019 as part of a $1bn deal with Chevron and had recently completed a $400mn upgrade to the facility in order to allow it to produce low-sulphur fuel. Astron spokesperson Suzanne Pullinger said in 2022 that “the refinery forms a significant part of the Astron Energy business, and it remains our intention to safely restart by the end of Q4 this year . . .with a key focus on maximising safety for the restart and beyond.”

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