Puma’s refinery completes maintenance programme

PUMA Energy’s Napa Napa refinery has successfully completed its Turnaround and Inspection (T&I) and is currently running at full capacity, says country general manager Jim Collings.
“We are planning for a re-opening event in the next few weeks,” he told The National yesterday.
The 30 days T&I was part of its scheduled five-year major maintenance programme.
“This maintenance programme is basically to refresh the key refinery units and ensures they continues to operate safely at world class standards and continuing to produce the high quality fuels we deliver to the market.”
Collings said PNG, due to Puma Energy’s investments, had the most secured fuel supply in the region with approximately 80 days of stock capacity.
“This puts the country in a very strong position for energy supply and a superior position to some of our close neighbours like Australia and New Zealand, where their supply security is less than half of this,” he said.
“Over the last four to five years, Puma Energy has invested heavily in storage facilities and the Napa Napa refinery’s capability to create a position where we have got approximately 80 days of stock capacity, in either crude or finished petroleum products in our tanks around the country,” Collings said.
“We have got Kutubu crude coming into our refinery, our refinery is the local refinery. Our refinery and downstream business is staffed with over 95 per cent nationals. Our retail network of dealers is run by businesses owned by PNG citizens employing more locals.
“We have created almost 500 new locally-owned small and medium enterprises in our Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) segment. This is truly about developing a business for PNG and its people,” he said.