The largest refinery in Romania was stopped for overhaul, at a time when fuel prices exceeded 8.2 lei per liter in gas stations
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Petromidia Năvodari of the Rompetrol group, the largest refinery in Romania, was stopped for revisions for 20 days. Even if the works were planned in advance, the closure of the refinery comes at an unfavorable time for drivers, when prices at the pump are increasing and exceed 8.2 lei per liter in gas stations in Romania.
- Petromidia has a total processing capacity of 5 million tons of crude oil, i.e. 40% of the total at the national level, and provides one third of domestic fuel consumption.
- With the closure of Petromidia, only one of the three refineries in Romania is still operating, namely Petrobrazi from the OMV Petrom group. The third refining capacity, Petrotel Lukoil, has been shut down since autumn.
Rompetrol announced on Tuesday morning that it is shutting down the Petromidia and Vega Ploiești refineries (the latter does not produce fuels) for planned overhaul works, for 20 days.
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Fuel imports, which have higher prices, will increase
According to Rompetrol, the works scheduled for this period will target inspections and reauthorizations of production units and operational flows, “in accordance with the legislation in force”.
Equipment cleaning, preventive checks or replacement of some elements, such as catalysts, will also be carried out, with the aim of maintaining and increasing production yields, ensuring product quality and safe and efficient operation, both for employees and the environment.
“During this entire period, the company will continue to honor its contractual obligations, deliveries of petroleum products to customers will be ensured from its own stocks or with the support of the trading division of the KMGI Group, i.e. from imports,” the company says.
Problems with petroleum products in the region
The shutdown of the largest refinery in Romania comes in the context in which the price of fuel at the pump is increasing, exceeding 8.2 lei per liter for diesel sold in gas stations in Romania.
Brent oil quotes, the reference for the European market, have increased by 18% since the beginning of the year. This is after, on January 1, the Government increased the excise duty paid by drivers for a liter of car fuel.
In addition, there is a shortage of oil products in the region, as at the end of January 2026, Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia were interrupted, following an incident on the territory of Ukraine.
