Brief Respite

January 25, 2007 (LBO) - Sri Lanka plans to import more refined petroleum products as its sole refinery shuts down for routine maintenance next week, a top Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said Thursday.

The Sapugaskanda refinery which has a daily output of 50,000 barrels producing a mix of diesel, kerosene, gasoline, furnace oil and naphtha, is closed every two-years for maintenance checks.

"A refined shipment of about 40,000 tonnes will come in by mid-February, to meet the shortfall," CPC Chairman Asantha de Mel said.

The country consumes around 30 million litres of gasoline, 130 million litres of diesel and 18 million litres of kerosene each month and de Mel says there is suffient stocks at hand to meet daily requirements.

A net oil importer, Sri Lanka consumes around 3.

6 million metric tones each year, of which around 2.

0 million metric tones are refined at Sapugaskanda.

De Mel said the balance light crude requirements are sourced from Iran (70 percent), Malaysia (20 percent) and Saudi Arabia (10 percent).

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