Halted for 10 years.. Yemeni government decides to resume Aden oil refinery activity

Yemen – The Yemeni government decided yesterday to resume the activity of the Aden oil refinery in the south of the country, after a halt that lasted for about 10 years.

This refinery was established in 1952, and is the largest oil refining facility in Yemen, with a capacity ranging between 70,000 and 130,000 barrels per day.

The Council of Ministers held a meeting in Aden on Tuesday, in which it discussed the “political, economic, living, service, military and security” situations, according to the Saba News Agency (official).

The agency reported that the council “approved the restoration of the Aden refineries’ activity as a free zone,” without details.

He directed the Ministries of Oil and Minerals, Finance, Legal Affairs, and Transport, along with the Governor of Aden and the Head of the Aden Free Zone, to work on implementing the decision, in accordance with what was in effect before this activity stopped in 2015.

The Aden Refinery covered a large part of the local market’s needs for refined oil, and was the sole supplier of petroleum derivatives in the country, in addition to being an important storage center for petroleum derivatives for the governorates.

The decision to resume the refinery’s activity comes at a time when Yemen is suffering from a major financial crisis, the impact of which has been exacerbated by the halt in oil exports for a year and a half.

Oil exports have been halted as a result of the conflict between the internationally recognised government and the Houthi group, which began after the latter took control of governorates and cities, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula, and has been witnessing a calming down of the war that began about 10 years ago between the legitimate government and the Houthi group for more than two years, but the peace process between the two parties is still faltering.

Anatolia